Pocas Pero Locas: How Latina Community College Presidents Resist, Reclaim, and Redefine Leadership

• In Event: Latinx Identity and Higher Education: Exploring Experiences

Abstract

Recent scholarship identifies Latina administrators as a critical entity in the movement towards creating a more diverse leadership structure within community colleges. In light of this,the purpose of this study is to better understand the racialized and gendered experiences of Latina Presidents within the California Community Colleges. Grounded in Chicana Feminist Epistemology (CFE), we utilized platicas to engage 5 Latina community college presidents. Findings emphasize the ways Latina presidents experience choques that serve to undermine their power by reminding them that they are not white men. This study also finds that Latina presidents fight through the negative critiques from the on and off campus community in order to tear down oppressive structures, oppose patriarchy, and foster lasting collaborations.

Authors

• Cynthia Estrada, University of California - Los Angeles

• Stephanie Vasquez, San Diego State University

• Citlalli Franco Aguilar, San Diego State University

• Eric R. Felix, San Diego State University