Orientation in Español Supporting Latino/a Students and their

Families' Transition into Higher Education

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Julianna Hernandez Metropolitan State University of Denver

jhern128@msudenver.edu

What I will cover today…

• Familiar Influence and Latino culture

• Challenges faced by Latino/a students and family members

• MSU Denver’s approach to supporting Latino/a Students and Families

• Review of assessment data demonstrating participants’ experience at Spanish orientation program

• Sharing ideas for implementation at participants’ institutions

• Opportunity for Questions

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Understanding Latino/a Students and their Families

• Collectivistic culture

– Community orientated

– Dependency on family and relatives

• Familial Influences on the Identity Development of Latino/a First-year Students (Torres, 2004)

• Familismo

– Strong identification and attachment of individuals with their nuclear and extended families.

– Strong feelings of loyalty, reciprocity, and solidarity among family members (Torres, 2004).

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Family Members at Orientation

• Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory

– 4 systems of Support during transition

• Intimate Relationships

• Family

• Friends

• Institutions and Communities

• Latino students tend to depend on family members for assistance (Torres, 2004)

• Low acculturation and lack of understanding

– Cultural conflict for students

– Familial expectations

• Many are families of first-generation college students

– Understanding U.S. systems of higher education

– Campus life or environment

– Financial aid

• Language barriers

Challenges Faced by Latino/a Students and Family Members

Orientación Familiar at MSU Denver

Metropolitan State University of Denver

• Public, mid-size, four-year university

– 100% commuter

– 24,000 students

– “College of Opportunity”

– First in Colorado to provide in-state tuition to undocumented students

• Student population at MSU Denver

– 19% of students identify as Latino/a

– Many are first-generation

– Non-traditional

• Campus initiative to become Hispanic Serving Institution

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Orientación Familiar: Una Iniciativa Familiar Para el Apoyo Estudiantil

• Established to provide support and information for Spanish-speaking families

– Content + cultural understanding

• Connect families with MSU Denver and resources on campus

• Introduce what it means to be a college student

• Program completely in Spanish

– Bilingual faculty, staff, and students

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8

Student Leader Presence and Experiences

Connecting Families with MSU Denver Community

• Alleviate fears

• Families have a name, a face, and a resource for future

• Listening to experiences of staff/faculty

• Learn from other families

• Create a safe space

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MSU Denver Pilots

• 3 sessions

–Saturday in January

–Two during summer:

• Saturday in June

• Friday in July

• 9 am – 3 pm

• Open to all new students and families

• No cost to attend

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Goal: to help family members help their students

• Introduction to MSU Denver and overview of higher education

• Differences between high school and college

• How to pay for college

• Information for undocumented students

• Campus resources

• Support programs for first-generation students

• Student/Parent panel

• Resource Fair

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Participants

• January pilot: 34 participants

–Current students, High School students, 1st year students, families of student leaders

• June & July – 28 participants

–New, first-year students

• Attendance/ marketing as area of growth

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Program Assessment

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• Pre and post-program assessment

• Pre: used iClickers to poll audience – Who is in the audience (How many are families of first-gen?)

– Overall nervousness about students going to college

– Awareness of MSU Denver services/resources

– Value of a college degree

• Post: Quantitative/ Qualitative – Relevance of content

– Learning ways to support student

– Connection with University

Results

• Appreciation towards program

• Information was beneficial

• Families expressed better understanding

• Student interaction helped reassure family members and relieve anxieties

• Resources in Spanish and meeting staff was beneficial for them

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Results cont.

• Faculty members sharing classroom experiences helped create understanding of academic demands

• Participants were able to identify students/staff they connected with

• Positive comments about “real-life” stories presented by staff/students

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Areas for Growth

• Marketing and outreach to more students

• Resources for undocumented students

• Financial aid resources

• Student “track”

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What can you do on your campus?

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What can you do? • Awareness of unique needs and understand

importance of family

• Provide handouts in English AND Spanish when possible

• Utilize bilingual staff if available

– Connecting OLs or staff with families

• “Hablo Español” buttons

• Spanish campus tours

• Answer questions in Spanish

– Translation services

• Utilize the family as a resource!

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Questions?

Julianna Hernandez Bilingual Coordinator, New Student Orientation

Metropolitan State University of Denver

jhern128@msudenver.edu

Please complete an evaluation of this

session in Guidebook by clicking the link

after the session description.