RESISTE Scholars: Empowering Future Hispanic-Serving Institution Researchers through Collaborative Femtorship

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/hngd7q70

Keywords:

Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Servingness, Femtorship, Mentorship, Undergraduate Research

Abstract

Undergraduate research and mentorship experiences are high-impact practices that foster positive outcomes among Latine and other minoritized students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). This study examined the development and implementation of RESISTE Scholars, a collaborative HSI-STEM education research training and mentorship program. Our work is grounded in 1) notions of servingness aimed at creating a humanizing and liberatory experience in HSI research (Garcia, 2023), 2) intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989), and 3) critical feminist and liberatory epistemologies centering equity, interdependence, valuing lived experiences, and an ethic of care (Benishek et al., 2004; Malone & Harper, 2022). Leading National Science Foundation-funded projects, RESISTE Scholars engaged in myriad collaborative research projects with faculty, postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers. Most identified as Latine and/or WOC, and first-generation college students. Weekly team meetings were coupled with sessions intentionally tailored to build upon undergraduates’ strengths while meeting project goals and exploring graduate school and career aspirations. A combination of several qualitative methods, including collaborative autoethnography (Reyes et al., 2021), platicas (Delgado Bernal et al., 2023), and reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) of documents and students’ written reflections illuminate their program experiences. Results suggest that multi-layered femtorship within undergraduate research rooted in servingness and critical feminism may be key in empowering the next generation of scholars committed to equity and justice in HSI/STEM education. Integrating critical reflexivity and student input throughout the program, RESISTE Scholars emphasized the power of collaborative, student-centered activities and holistic support. Recommendations for research, policy, and practice on undergraduate research and mentorship at HSIs are discussed.



Author Biographies

  • Victoria Rodriguez-Operana, San Diego State University, USA

    VICTORIA C. RODRIGUEZ-OPERANA, Ph.D., is the lead Research Scientist at the Research & Equity Scholarship Institute on Student Trajectories in Education at San Diego State University, and a Lecturer in Human Developmental Sciences at the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests broadly include students’ social identities, experiences, developmental outcomes, and institutional support for their academic success and holistic well-being. Email: vrodriguezoperana@sdsu.edu

  • Felisha Herrera, San Diego State University, USA

    FELISHA A. HERRERA, PhD, is a Professor of Postsecondary Education at San Diego State University. She is a nationally recognized expert in STEM education and a widely published scholar, with her research focused on community college and Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) STEM pathways. Email: Felisha.Herrera@sdsu.edu

  • Griselda Paredes, San Diego State University, USA

    GRISELDA PAREDES M.S., is a Ph.D. candidate in Education at San Diego State University and Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests include highlighting the transformative labor of students in higher education, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Chicana feminist methodologies. Email: griselda.paredes@cgu.edu

  • Julio Fregoso, Morgan State University, USA

    JULIO FREGOSO, Ph.D. (he/him/el) is an Assistant Professor of Quantitative Methodology in the Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy at Morgan State University. His major research interests are in community college transfers, campus racial climates, undergraduate research, and critical quantitative research methods. Email: julio.fregoso@morgan.edu

  • Maria Shoka, San Diego State University, USA

    MARIA SHOKA, B.A., is a second-year graduate student in the Political Science Master’s program at San Diego State University. Her major research interests focus on curriculum politics, diverse student experiences, and the development of equity-promoting practices in K-12 and higher education. Email: shokamaria854@gmail.com 

  • Daniela Hernandez, San Diego State University, USA

    DANIELA HERNANDEZ, B.A., is a first-year master’s student in the Postsecondary Educational Leadership in Student Affairs program at San Diego State University. Her research broadly includes HSI servingness, the impacts of higher education policy and legislation, and higher educational leadership. Email: dhernandez7922@sdsu.edu

  • Alexis Reynoso, George Washington University, USA

    ALEXIS REYNOSO, B.S. (She/Her/Ella), is a first-year graduate student in the Public Health program at the George Washington University, concentrating in Epidemiology. Her research interests include the health and well-being of immigrant populations, focusing on health policy and social determinants that affect healthcare access. Email: alexis.reynoso@gwmail.gwu.edu 

  • Elizabeth Vazquez, University of California, San Diego, USA

    ELIZABETH VAZQUEZ, M.A., is the Transfer Research and Involvement Coordinator at the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests broadly include community college transfers, transfer pathways, and the impacts of experiential learning for transfer students. Email: e6vazquez@ucsd.edu.

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Published

2025-02-02

Issue

Vol. 9 No. SI-1 (2025): Journal of Underrepresented & Minority Progress: Special Issue on Hispanics in Higher Education

Section

Special Issue: Hispanics in Higher Education