Latinx/o/a high school students labeled as at-promise are often omitted in research that explores Latinx/o/a underrepresented youths’ accessibility to higher education. The exclusion of Latinx/o/a youth reinforces the structural barriers that prevents access to the resources necessary to prepare for and attend higher education. The proposed study will explore the lived experiences of Latinx/o/a high school students from South Central Los Angeles labeled as at-promise by school staff to assess the factors which prevent them from receiving an equitable education and access to college preparation resources. Participants for the study will also include school counselors and administrators (i.e., school staff) to explore their role in identifying and labeling youth as either college-ready or at-promise. Survey data, a semi-structured interview protocol, and pláticas will be used to examine the impact of being categorized as at-promise by school staff. Using Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth model as an asset-based lens, I aim to assess the impact that the at-promise label may have on Latinx/o/a youths’ educational trajectories while also identifying the strengths their family and community provide in the face of such structural barriers. My research will contribute to the existing literature that assesses the representation of underrepresented youth in higher education by providing a more holistic account of the factors that cause the disproportionate representation. Every student's educational experience is valuable and should be included in future research that assesses underrepresented students’ educational experiences.

The emergence of asset-mapping as a community development strategy has provided an effective framework through which communities can identify and utilize shared assets to address issues interfering with residents’ wellbeing, quality of life, and personal sense of fulfillment. Many scholars have used community-based participatory action research and asset mapping to center youth in the identification and development of solutions to problems affecting youth communities (Mosavel, M., Gough, M., & Ferrell, D. (2018). Using Asset Mapping to Engage Youth in Community-Based Participatory Research: The WE Project. Progress in Community Health Partnerships, 12(2), 223-236.) Existing evidence demonstrates that asset mapping can significantly improve students’ academic achievement and quality of life (Arriero, E., & Griffin, D. (2018). Adelante! A Community Asset Mapping Approach to Increase College and Career Readiness for Rural Latinx High School Students. Professional School Counseling, 22(1),). With this insight, more research should be conducted to determine the ways that youth-informed asset mapping can be employed to make students-led changes in schools and communities. In order to construct a school environment that meets the needs of diverse students, student voices must be at the forefront of discussions involving the identification of community assets and an analysis of how these assets provide opportunity for growth and fulfillment. As such, this ethnographic and youth-informed study uses observational data and data analysis to assess the potential that participatory action mapping and research has in developing culturally relevant instruction and creating sustainable change in school communities. In this study, an asset is defined as: any structure capable of contributing to community development. Additionally, for the purposes of this study, school community refers to any individual, organization, group, institution, or business that seeks to support the prosperity of a school and its surrounding community. Preliminary findings suggest that when students reflect upon and share personal experiences, they are more easily able to identify as well as categorize (thematically) ongoing issues affecting youth in their school community. With this same wealth of knowledge derived from personal experiences, culture, and identity, students are able to recognize community assets as valuable resources to meet their needs and instigate change.

This research project uses an ethnographic lens to further understand the benefits of using asset mapping in a program for youth data analyst (YDA) interns with similarities to youth participatory action research (YPAR). A growing body of literature suggests that YPAR has many beneficial outcomes, such as an increase in the youth members ability to advocate for themselves and their communities, agency, leadership, and academic achievement (Bender et al., 2018). However, unless adult co-conspirators are involved in implementing youth recommendations, change often does not occur (Bertrand & Lozenski 2021). Thus, this Midwest suburban high school hired high school-aged interns to work alongside their university facilitators and their Assessment, Research, and Evaluation department to answer the following district question: Are we living up to our communities' hopes and dreams? The summer programming coaches youth to research and advocate for their schools and communities. As facilitators, we university researchers use an ethnographic lens to observe how YDA interns collaborate with stakeholders to create change. The preliminary findings in this ongoing study suggest that the assets that youth interns recognize in their schools and communities can be used to spark and continue change initiatives based in race equity.

Presenter’s Name: Genesis Santos Presentation Field: Education University/College Name: Baylor University Faculty Mentor’s Name: Dr. Kevin Russel Magill Presentation Title: Never Too Early: Examining Selective Private College-Going Culture and Supports for Elementary Latino Students Abstract: Studies state that early college-going cultures can increase the number of Latino students entering higher education. Little research has explored private college support and access for young Latinos. The purpose of this study is to examine the college-going culture and the ways Latino students are supported in accessing a selective private university at one elementary school in a Central Texas Title 1 district. I utilized a community cultural wealth framework (Yosso 2005) to understand how student social capital is understood for achieving these ends and to consider the messages these students receive. I conducted interviews with educators, students, and families and field notes connected to the school. Initial findings suggest that family and educator support and early college exposure exists, but often lack explanation, context, and ground support. Messaging is supportive and well-meaning but may include deficit ideology when student social capital differs from educator thinking. Implications include strengthening a college-going culture earlier, mentoring educators on community cultural wealth, and developing more extensive partnership with the private university at an earlier age.