Sueños De Los Flyover States: Narratives of Latino Males in the Great Plains

Authors

Elvira Abrica, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Deryl K. Hatch-Tocaimaza, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Baudelio Abrica, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

ORCID IDs

Elvira J. Abrica http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6140-5325

Deryl K. Hatch-Tocaimaza http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1146-448X

Date of this Version

2019

Citation

Published in Community College Journal of Research and Practice (2019)

doi 10.1080/10668926.2019.1567405

Comments

Copyright © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Used by permission.

Abstract

In this study, we use a narrative inquiry approach to present the stories of two Latino males attending community colleges in the Great Plains region of the United States that includes the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa, popularly referred to as “flyover states.” The purpose of this inquiry, part of a larger study in an area of the United States that goes largely understudied in research on immigrants in community colleges, was to examine the ways in which race and immigrant status inform career and educational aspirations in the lives of Latino males. After presenting narratives of the two students, we highlight ways in which their stories showed their meaning making around their social identities, how their aspirations were informed by these social identity statuses, and describe how their experiences were shaped by the Great Plains context. Findings and implications are discussed.