Voices yet to be heard : the educational journeys of older Latino\a undergraduates

With this cross-cultural qualitative study, I sought to understand older Latino\as’ undergraduate experiences on predominantly white, non-Hispanic campuses in the Midwest. The eight participants, ages 35-50, were evenly divided by gender. We engaged in conversational interviews, mutually sharing personal experiences and reflective interpretations. I employed two frameworks--critical postmodernism (theoretical) and Donaldson and Graham’s (1999) A Model of College Outcomes for Adults (conceptual)--for data interpretation. The participants’ voices also teach us how discrimination against Latino\as festers in many classrooms, that student-instructor expectations are not always clear, and that methods do not always meet adults’ needs. I offered suggestions applicable to a wide range of professional practice and supported the call to rectify social injustices and educational inequities in the U.S. Voices Yet to Be Heard provides an opportunity to learn how multiple realities and tensions coexist in our world and how much we can benefit by listening to others.