Speaker
Alberta M. Gloria
Professor of Counseling Psychology
Alberta M. Gloria, Ph.D., is a professor of counseling psychology at the UW–Madison School of Education, where she focuses on the educational processes and coping strategies that facilitate academic persistence and educational wellness for Black, Indigenous and other students of color. Professor Gloria’s mentoring and scholarship implement the psychosociocultural approach to persistence in which the whole student is considered within the context of the university environment. Central to her work is the concept of creation and maintenance of “academic families,” in which students find cultural congruity, personal and professional reflection and validation, and dimensionalized connections to persist within their educational contexts.
Speaking in
Critical Elements of Mentoring for Latinx Undergraduates: Effective Mentoring to Enhance Persistence and Retention
Although higher education institutions are becoming more reflective of the increasingly diverse U.S. population, there remains a substantial achievement gap between Black, Indigenous and other students of color and their white counterparts (McElrath & Martin, 2021). Over the last 14 years (2005-2019), the percentage of Latinx individuals 25 years and older has increased by less than 4% (12.6 to 16.4) (McElrath & Martin, 2021). Yet, Latinx undergraduates continuously succeed, persist, and graduate, with mentorship consistently and positively influencing their educational experience (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007; Delgado-Guerrero, 2016). This presentation draws from a large qualitative and quantitative study to overview the critical dimensions of the mentoring relationship with and for Latinx undergraduates.
Using the Psychosociocultural Framework (Gloria & Rodriguez, 2000) to explore mentorship experiences, emergent themes were identified within the domains of the Undergraduate Mentoring Model (Nora & Crisp, 2007) and academic persistence. The domains included: 1) psychological and emotional support, 2) goal setting and career paths, 3) academic subject knowledge support, 4) the existence of a role model, and 5) academic persistence. This session will discuss research findings (i.e., emergent themes) and implications for individuals who mentor Latinx undergraduates and universities wanting to implement mentoring programs.
This session will help participants:
- Define and understand critical psychosociocultural (PSC) mentoring dimensions with Latinx students
- Engage with current narratives of Latinx mentoring experiences
- Reflect on participants’ current mentoring practices with Latinx students
- Develop an increased understanding of Latinx students’ mentoring needs to implement within effective mentoring programs