Transfer as Collective Action: Understanding How Latina/o/x Students and Their Families Make Transfer Decisions

Written by

Ivan Valdovinos, Ph.D.

San Diego Miramar College

In this post, Ivan Valdovinos, winner of the NISTS 2024 Research Grant Award, presents highlights from his research project.

Latina/o/x students in program led by Dr. Valdovinos (used with permission)

After my first year as the Director of the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Title V STEM Exito program at San Diego Miramar College, I found myself burning out from the inequalities that emerged. Many of my students—mostly children of immigrants and first-generation college students—faced structural barriers particularly those rooted in immigration policy that prevented them from reaching their educational goals, including successfully transferring to four-year institutions. Ramiro was one such student. The lack of emotional support at home prevented him from making academic progress. As a teenager, his mother passed away and during his first year in college, his father was deported. These tragic events derailed Ramiro’s educational trajectory and he eventually dropped out of college. Witnessing students like Ramiro struggle to pursue a transfer pathway and a bachelor's degree is the reason for my work. In this blog post, I share three strategies for supporting Latina/o/x students that emerged from my dissertation research.

Latina/o/x students increasingly begin their postsecondary education at community colleges due to affordability, proximity to home, and open access policies (Goldrick-Rab, 2010; Ma & Baum, 2016). In 2022, 25% of the nearly 4.5 million community college students identified as Latina/o/x, with many aiming to transfer to four-year institutions (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2023). However, transfer rates remain low—only 17.9% transferred within six years nationwide, and just 2% in California within two years (The Campaign for College Opportunity, 2021). This gap reflects a larger educational paradox: while Latina/o/x families hold high educational aspirations and provide strong support (Jabbar et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2022), only 14% of Latina/o/x adults in California hold a bachelor’s degree—the lowest of any racial/ethnic group (The Campaign for College Opportunity, 2021). These decisions are consequential, as transfer outcomes are linked to degree completion and long-term economic opportunities (Melguizo, 2008; Thomas, 2003). Latina/o/x students often approach transfer decisions through the collectivist lens of familismo, relying heavily on their familial networks—parents, siblings, extended family, and close friends—for guidance and support (Azpeitia et al., 2022; Saenz et al., 2017; Villanueva, 2020; Witkowsky et al., 2020). These networks frequently act as trusted advisors, helping with transfer planning, applications, and financial aid (Harris, 2017; Jabbar et al., 2019; Vasquez et al., 2022). Despite this, the voices of Latina/o/x families are often marginalized in the literature (Castro & Cortez, 2017; Cortez & Castro, 2017). 

Through forty-eight platicas (Fierros & Delgado Bernal, 2016) with sixteen Latina/o/x community college students from San Diego County and twelve familial testimonios (Huber, 2009) with twelve family members, I found that Latina/o/x community college students based their transfer decisions on cultural values, social justice, and a commitment to uplifting their communities, often seeking HSIs or inclusive campuses that affirmed their identities and offered support. Personal experiences with discrimination, immigration status, and other marginalizations shaped their pursuit of safe, empowering environments, while family responsibilities, financial constraints, and gendered expectations often influenced them to stay close to home. Despite structural barriers, these students demonstrated resilience and creativity, remaining deeply committed to education while honoring cultural values like familismo and colectivismo. Latina/o/x transfer students also received vital apoyo from their families, who eased academic and life pressures through practical help, emotional encouragement, and shared responsibility rooted in familismo and colectivismo. Families offered consejos—culturally grounded advice shaped by lived experience—and acted as informal guides, simplifying college processes and reinforcing values like persistence and humility. This combined support system of apoyo, ánimo, and consejos served as a cultural compass, empowering students to succeed while staying deeply connected to their roots. Here I offer some strategies for establishing a Transfer Receptive Culture (Jain et al., 2020) to intentionally serve Latina/o/x transfer-going students through a family-centered approach. 

Strategy #1: Develop A Deep Understanding of Latina/o/x Transfer Epistemology 

A Latina/o/x transfer epistemology centers culturally rooted ways of knowing, emphasizing lived experience, bilingualism, familial support, and resilience as valid forms of knowledge—especially within the community college to university pathway. It challenges Eurocentric frameworks by repositioning Latina/o/x students as knowledge producers navigating racialized and colonized education systems. To truly foster a culture of servingness, practitioners should integrate this epistemology along with conocimientos—a concept developed by Gloria Anzaldúa and Paulo Freire that encourages storytelling, self-reflection, and dialogue to build community and belonging. Through conocimientos, students and faculty can engage in deeper understanding by sharing values, identities, and personal experiences. Practitioners must collaborate with students in shaping equity plans and mission statements that reflect these values. Professional development through conferences like AHSIE, HACU, and AAHHE, or programs like ESCALA, is essential to deepening this understanding and transforming institutional practice.

Strategy #2: Unapologetically Serve Latina/o/x Transfer Students

To truly support Latina/o/x students on their transfer journeys, colleges must offer intentional, culturally responsive outreach and resources that reflect students' lived experiences and values. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions, institutions should build ecosystems of support that provide guidance, connection, and encouragement every step of the way. Programs that connect Latina/o/x students with dedicated staff, faculty, and counselors are effective because they’re built on care and intentionality—but these efforts can’t operate alone, especially when often underfunded and understaffed. Policymakers must invest in institutionalizing these programs and provide professional development for general counseling staff to better serve Latina/o/x transfer needs. Additionally, offering work-study and leadership opportunities helps students expand their networks and access key transfer resources. Finally, colleges must bridge the "transfer limbo" by developing summer transition programs in collaboration with community colleges to ensure continuity of support.

Strategy #3: Institutionalize Family Engagement Policies and Practices

For Latina/o/x students, families are a vital source of apoyo (support), consejos (guidance), and ánimo (encouragement) throughout the transfer journey. To truly support student success, colleges must intentionally engage families as partners and honor their cultural capital. One way to do this is through Transfer Bridge programs that equip families with knowledge about the emotional, academic, and financial aspects of transferring, while also helping them connect with other families. Institutions should implement culturally responsive practices such as bilingual outreach, family-centered events, and early engagement in the transfer process. Building trust through these efforts helps position families as knowledge brokers and key partners in student success. To make this sustainable, colleges must institutionalize family engagement in strategic planning and commit funding and resources to support it long term.

When we work together to streamline the transfer process, we honor the resilience, aspirations, and cultural capital that Latina/o/x transfer students bring into our educational spaces. These students carry with them stories of perseverance, deep familial ties, and a vision for a better future—not only for themselves, but for their communities. Investing in their success means investing in a more inclusive and prosperous society, one that recognizes that the brilliance and potential of Latina/o/x transfer students are essential to the future of higher education and the vitality of our nation.

Want to know more about Ivan's research? Watch the webinar!

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Ivan Valdovinos, PhD

Director of the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) STEM Exito

San Diego Miramar College

NISTS Research Grant Winner (2024)

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References

Azpeitia, J., & Bacio, G. A. (2022). “Dedicado a Mi Familia”: The Role of Familismo on Academic Outcomes Among Latinx College Students. Emerging Adulthood, 10(4), 923-937. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968221099259

Castro, E. L. & Cortez, E. (2017) Exploring the Lived Experiences and Intersectionalities of Mexican Community College Transfer Students: Qualitative Insights Toward Expanding a Transfer Receptive Culture, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 41:2, 77-92, DOI: 10.1080/10668926.2016.1158672

Cortez, E., & Castro, E. L. (2017). Mexican and Mexican American students reflections on transfer: Institutional agents and the continued role of the community college. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 11(2), 155-176. https://doi.org/10.24974/amae.11.2.354

Fierros, C. O. & Bernal, D. D. (2016). Vamos a platicar: The contours of platicas as Chicana/Latina feminist methodology. Chicana/Latina Studies, 15(2), 98-121.

Goldrick-Rab, S. (2010). Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Community College Student Success. Review of Educational Research, 80(3), 437-469. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654310370163.

Harris, L. N. (2017). Latino student persistence strategies in transferring from community college to tier 1 universities: A phenomenological analysis. European Journal of Educational Research, 6(2), 113-122. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.6.2.113

Huber, L. P. (2009). Disrupting apartheid of knowledge: Testimonio as methodology in Latina/o critical race research in education. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 22(6), 639-654. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518390903333863

Jabbar, H., Serrata, C., Epstein, E. & Sánchez, J. (2019) “Échale ganas”: Family support of Latino/a community college students’ transfer to four-year universities, Journal of Latinos and Education, 18:3, 258-276, DOI: 10.1080/15348431.2017.1390462

Jain, D., Melendez, S. N. B., & Herrera, A. R. (2020). Power to the transfer: Critical race theory and a transfer receptive culture. MSU Press.

Ma, J., & Baum, S. (2016). Trends in community colleges: Enrollment, prices, student debt, and completion. College board research brief, 4, 1-23.

Melguizo, T. (2008). Quality matters: Assessing the impact of attending more selective institutions on college completion rates of minorities. Research in Higher Education, 49(3), 214–236.

National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. (2023, February 2). Current term enrollment estimates: Fall 2022 expanded edition. https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/ 

The Campaign for College Opportunity. (2021, November). The State of Higher Education for Latinx Californians. Retrieved August 25, 2023. 

Thomas, S.L. Longer-Term Economic Effects of College Selectivity and Control. Research in Higher Education 44, 263–299 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023058330965

Saenz, V. B., Mercedez, C. Rodriguez, S. L., & Garcia-Louis, C. (2017). Latino men and their fathers: Exploring how community cultural wealth influences their community college success. Education Publications. 105. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/edu_pubs/105

Vasquez, M. C., Gonzalez, A. J., Cataño, Y. & Garcia, F. (2022) Exploring the Role of Women as Validating Agents for Latino Men in Their Transfer Success, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 46:7, 488-503, https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2021.1873874

Villanueva, K. (2020). Juntos Pa’lante/ Together we go forward: Familismo and the Latinx college process. The Cutting Edge, 2(1), 1-12.

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Witkowsky, P., Obregon, V., Bruner, B., & Alanis, J. (2020). Connecting Familismo and Higher Education: Influence of Spanish Language PFMO Programs on Latinx Family Involvement and Sense of Belonging. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 19(4), 354-368. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192718810429