The Mexican American Community College Experience: Fostering Resilience, Achieving Success

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Description

The Mexican American Community College Experience addresses the challenge of educating Mexican American students, the largest segment of the growing Latino population, in community colleges, the largest institutions in todays landscape of higher education. It describes the cultivation of resilience in these students and how engaging, dynamic faculty help them succeed in their studies. This blending of psychology and education theory, with a critical twist, shows how faculty help students develop a foundation of resilience and a larger sense of purpose based on their unique knowledge, pedagogies, and culture, an area not traditionally addressed in curriculum and instruction. Creative teaching, resilience, and energetic student stories make this a celebration of Mexican American success at a major regional community college on the U.S Mexico border.

Reviews

Blanca's well written, comprehensive, and inspiring work is a must read, not just for those concerned with Latino education, but for anyone deeply concerned about the viability of America's social and economic future. -- Erik E. Morales, PhD, professor/chair of department of elementary & secondary education, New Jersey City University
Blanca Campa richly describes the humility and the deep level of cario that teaching con respeto means to and for educators. We accomplish so much more when we listen, encourage and act as beacons for students. This all reflects who we are as teachers and who we want to become. This approach is why I live to teach. -- Oscar Omar Diaz, doctoral student, cultural studies in education, curriculum and instruction department, University of Texas at Austin
Blanca Campa provides a very powerful framework to describe resilience among Mexican Americans in the borderlands. The book brings narratives together that allow the reader to see how theory and qualitative research are applied in real life. The rigorous analysis of each story helps us be more reflective, observant, and think more clearly about the obstacles students face while navigating college. This book is essential reading that covers many significant issues and sheds light on the inequalities of higher education. -- Joel Alejandro Mejia, PhD, assistant professor, department of civil engineering, Angelo State University

Author Bio

Dr. Blanca Campa is an educator, researcher, and writer with an academic background in Education, Counseling, and Psychology. She is a Professor of Educational Psychology at El Paso Community College.