First Advisor

Shanté Stuart McQueen

Term of Graduation

Fall 2025

Date of Publication

12-11-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership: Postsecondary Education

Department

Educational Leadership and Policy

Language

English

Physical Description

1 online resource (xii, 183 pages)

Abstract

Between 2009 and 2019 Latine college enrollment has increased, yet retention and graduation rates lag those of their white peers. While barriers for Latine students are well-documented, the influence of colorism, particularly among lighter-skinned or white passing students, remains understudied. This study utilized a qualitative case-study approach grounded in CRT and LatCrit and based on a Street Race Praxis framework. This study explored the experiences of twelve white passing and/or white-assumed Latine students at an emerging HSI in the Pacific Northwest. Using Testimonio informed approach and Counterstory, I drew from interviews, pláticas, site observations, and document analysis to create four Counterstories.

Four themes emerged: Identity, Belonging, and Exclusion; Colorism, Racial Perception, and (Dis)Advantage; Language and Communication; and Resilience and Growth. The Counterstories serve as the findings and are presented in a narrative form. The findings point to both erasure in Latine spaces due to phenotype or appearance, while also navigating the protections that came with being perceived as white. The findings illustrated the pressure to prove authenticity, particularly by speaking Spanish. However, the narratives also highlighted resilience, drawing on family, mentorship, cultural pride, and institutional support to reclaim space and affirm their identities. These findings speak to the urgent need for HSIs to move beyond enrollment metrics and create identity-conscious practices that validate the diverse and layered realities of Latine students.

Rights

© 2025 Emanuel Magaña

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44351

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