College Success for Students of Color

“An essential tool kit for young people of color who are considering postsecondary education but are unsure how to make it work for them.” —Christine E. Sleeter, author of Transformative Ethnic Studies in Schools

“I needed this book when I was a young Native student thinking about going to college.” —Tiffany S. Lee, University of New Mexico

“As a Latina and the first in my family to graduate from high school, I wish I would have had this book to help me successfully navigate college.” —Margarita Bianco, CU Denver

This one-of-a-kind, “how-to” guide is designed to help Indigenous Students and Students of Color (ISOC) thrive in postsecondary education.

College Success for Students of Color spotlights the personal and cultural capital ISOCs bring with them on their postsecondary educational journey. It will help students identify, strengthen, and use these assets so that success in higher education is not only possible but inevitable.

Written by faculty and administrators of color, from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, this guide contains insider advice and strategies to help ISOCs successfully navigate the challenges they might face wherever their postsecondary journey takes them. Through stories and relatable vignettes that help readers envision themselves in the book, this easy-to-use, interactive resource includes features such as Professional Tips, Think Alone/Think Together discussion prompts, and skill-building end-of-chapter activities that help students to develop their assets and hone their skills.

Designed to help ISOCs thrive in postsecondary education as their full authentic selves, this book is a guide that can be returned to at any point along one’s postsecondary journey.

Book Features:

• Perspectives, ideas, and advice that address the unique experiences that Indigenous and Students of Color are likely to have in postsecondary institutions.
• Written collaboratively by a diverse group of faculty and administrators of color representing a variety of academic disciplines including law, education, ethnic and women studies, and English.
• A user-friendly format that students can easily navigate to address their needs as they plan and attend postsecondary education.
• Appropriate for students attending or considering a variety of postsecondary options, including technical schools, community college, or a 4-year college or university.

Francisco A. Rios is professor and dean emeritus of Woodring College of Education, Western Washington University. Jacquelyn L. Bridgeman is Kepler Professor of Law at the University of Wyoming. Angela M. Jaime is vice provost, Indigenous engagement, and professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Kevin Roxas is a professor and dean of Woodring College of Education, Western Washington University. Caskey Russell is a professor and dean of Fairhaven College, Western Washington University.

“Imagine your favorite coach helping you unpack how post-secondary education works and guiding you forward. College Success for Students of Color is that coach. This book is a theoretically grounded, personally inviting, essential tool kit for young people of color who are considering postsecondary education but are unsure how to make it work for them. The authors, having been in shoes like yours, will guide you.”
—Christine E. Sleeter, professor emerita, California State University Monterey Bay

“Rich in an authentic and caring voice, this is a North Star for Indigenous Students and Students of Color wanting to know and understand more in order to thrive in their educational journey. An outstanding and illuminating narrative that explains ‘why’ of the journey and introduces the many different assets—cultural capital, community cultural wealth—that ISOCs have. A great read!”
—Carl A. Grant, Hoefs Bascom Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison

“I needed this book when I was a young Native student thinking about going to college—a book written directly to Indigenous students and students of color to imagine why higher education matters for them and for our society in this sociopolitical moment. The authors rethink and re-envision concepts of capital, such as through ideas of community cultural wealth, aspirational capital, and cultural (and ancestral) capital, highlighting their asset-based vision and privileging of the authors’ and students’ lived experiences to enable a promising journey through higher education.”
—Tiffany S. Lee (Diné/Lakota), professor and chair, Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico

“As a Latina and the first in my family to graduate from high school, I wish I would have had this book to help me successfully navigate college. College Success for Students of Color not only provides the road map for success, it also showcases how we need to see and project ourselves as belonging on college campuses because of all our brilliance and aspirational capital.”
—Margarita Bianco, associate professor, University of Colorado Denver, and founder of Pathways2Teaching

Contents

Preface: Preparing for the Journey Ahead  xiii
Why We Wrote This Book  xiii

Acknowledgments  xv

Prologue: Beginning Your Journey  1

1.  Introduction: Taking Your Initial Steps  3
The Value of a Postsecondary Degree: Why You Should Read This Book  3
Educational Attainment for People of Color  4
Getting the Most From This Book  6
Terminology Around Race and Ethnicity  8
Other Terms of Note  12

2.  An Assets-Based Approach: Thriving in Postsecondary Education  14
Introduction to an Assets-Based Approach  15
You Have Assets  16
Our Communities Have Wealth  17
A Note About Theory  19
Deficit-Oriented Versus Asset-Oriented Theories  21
Cultural Capital: An Assets-Based Approach  21
Community Cultural Wealth  24
Using Community Cultural Wealth to Organize This Book: An Overview of What’s to Come  27

3.  Aspirational Capital: Pursuing Your Dreams  32
Introduction to Aspirational Capital  33
Exploring Aspirational Capital  33
Introduction to the Authors  35
Career Choices and Choosing a Major  44
Types of Colleges and Universities  45
Planning for Your Future by Choosing the Right Institution for You  48
Ready to Apply?  51
Pulling the Application Together  54
Financial Planning  55
End of Chapter Activity: Draft and Write the Application Essay  59

4.  Cultural (and Ancestral) Capital: Being Your Authentic Self  60
Introduction to Cultural (and Ancestral) Capital  61
Exploring Cultural Capital  62
A Caution About Culture, Race, and Ethnicity  68
A Note About Intersectionality  69
Honoring Your Cultural Assets  70
Ancestral Capital  72
Identifying Your Cultural Assets  72
Your Cultural Capital: Pitfalls and Caveats  73
Understanding the Foundations of Racism  74
Strengthening Your Cultural and Ancestral Assets  79
End of Chapter Activity: Finding Your Cultural Assets  86

5.  Linguistic Capital: Valuing Your Language(s)  88
Introduction to Linguistic Capital  89
Exploring Linguistic Capital  91
Your Linguistic Assets  95
Identifying Your Linguistic Assets  96
Your Linguistic Capital: Pitfalls and Caveats  97
Strengthening Your Linguistic Assets  101
End of Chapter Activity: Building Your Linguistic Assets  104

6.  Familial and Social Capital: Walking the Path . . . Together  105
Introduction to Familial and Social Capital  107
Exploring Familial Capital  108
Exploring Social Capital  111
The Importance of Familial and Social Capital in Postsecondary Education Settings  114
Your Familial and Social Capital: Pitfalls and Caveats  117
Ideas for Strengthening and Effectively Using Familial and Social Capital  121
End of Chapter Activity: Recognizing and Strengthening Your Familial and Social Capital  125

7.  Political and Resistance Capital: Speaking Truth to Power  128
Introduction to Political and Resistance Capital  129
Exploring Political Capital  130
Exploring Resistance Capital  132
Your Political and Resistance Capital: Pitfalls and Caveats  134
Strategies for Strengthening Your Political and Resistance Capital  135
End of Chapter Activity: Build Your Knowledge to Increase Your Power  139

8.  Navigational Capital: Making the Strange Familiar  141
Introduction to Navigational Capital  142
Exploring Navigational Capital  143
Starting With the Basics  144
People You Will Most Likely Interact With at the University  146
What Does the Institution Do for ISOCs?  152
As Former ISOCs, What We Wish We Had Known When We Started College  156
Communicating With Professors  158
Other Important Sources of Navigational Capital  164
End of Chapter Activity: Reverse Navigating Your Dreams  166

9.  Humanization Capital: Striving and Thriving  168
Introduction to Humanization Capital  169
Exploring Humanization Capital  170
Keys to Surviving: Using and Building Humanization Capital  172
Your Humanization Capital: Pitfalls and Caveats  174
Don’t Just Survive, Thrive  175
End of Chapter Activity: Create Your Proactive Wellness Plan  178

Conclusion: Putting It All Together—Honoring Your Assets  180
Our Parting Words  181

An Open Letter to Faculty, Staff, and Advisors on Supporting Indigenous Students and Students of Color  183

Glossary of Terms  187

References  193

Index  197

About the Authors  203