Research

Intersecting Marginalities & Resistance: Diasporic Indigenous Latinx Youth Educational Experiences

This project focuses on understanding the experiences of diasporic Indigenous Latinx youth in schools and in their communities. We center on the barriers they face related to transborder stigmatizing interpersonal interactions within and outside of the Latinx communities and systemic anti-Indigeneity across nations. We also focus on the Indigenous knowledge systems and cultural wealth that these youth have which is fostered by their families and communities.  

Watch Dr. Casanova's talk for the Immigration Initiative at Harvard here. 

Transfer Receptivity for Students of Color 

This project uses the Transfer Receptive Culture framework, which applies a Critical Race Theory in education lens to center on Transfer Students of Color (TSOC) and guide institutions in creating a more receptive campus for these students. To this end, this research is in collaboration with STARS’ Cultivamos Excelencia Hispanic Serving Institution Initiative to understand the experiences of  TSOC and support approaches which are best practices designed to cultivate positive transfer student outcomes, including developing college know-how, essential social networks, college and career identity pathways, and strategies to make college life feasible. We take a strengths-based approach and use Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth framework to understand the assets transfer students bring to their university experiences. We are currently analyzing transfer student and staff survey data for this project. We will be conducting focus groups with UCSC transfer students of color.

Black Muslim Worldmaking: Race, Religion, and Gender in the Lives of Black

This project aims to understand how Muslim, immigrant origin college students navigate intersectional social identities (e.g., gender, race, immigrant status) in their day to day interactions in and outside college classrooms. In particular we focus on understanding their experiences with microaggressions, sense of belonging, and intersecting social identities. We are analyzing interview and focus group data. We recently received a Spencer Foundation Small Grant to expand our work across multiple institutions.

Immigrant origin students, Youth Participatory Action Research, & community knowledge 

 This project explores how immigrant youth in the U.S. negotiate their intersecting identities. In particular, the project aims to understand the how perceived discrimination, sense of school belonging, family ethnic socialization, and community engagement relate to these Latinx youths' academic and psychological well-being. The aim is to apply our findings by informing educators and practitioners working with these youth of ways to culturally sustain and validate their lived experiences. We are currently partnered with B40 Middle School in Santa Cruz. Additionally, in collaboration with colleagues at Arizona State University, this project focuses on understanding how a YPAR program for adolescent students of color relates to students' agency and voice in understanding educational inequities. 

Latinx LGBTQ Digital Counterspaces

Recent research suggests that social media contexts have become important for marginalized emerging adults to access information and social support, explore their sexual and racial/ethnic identities, and construct counter-narratives that challenge society’s discrimination and oppressive narratives. Counterspaces are sites or settings where marginalized individuals challenge dehumanizing mainstream narratives to promote positive self-concepts, resist oppression, and collectively re-imagine identities. The present study examines the way Latinx LGBTQ+ emerging adults use online spaces as counterspaces to resist oppressive narratives, co-construct positive self-concepts, and co-construct new identities. We are analyzing data that has already been collected and conducting more interviews.

UndocuPAR Project: Exploring family strengths among undocumented community college students

 Research focusing on undocumented college students has primarily centered on the experiences of students who attend four-year institutions. Yet, most undocumented college students attend community college after graduating from high school. One of this project's goals is to further explore the experiences and challenges undocumented community college students face and highlight institutional policies and resources that address those challenges. Previous research has also found that family is often a source of optimism and perseverance, but universities rarely engage families. Therefore, in this study, we ask: How can institutions of higher education involve families and foster belonging within these spaces among these families and their students? Through engaging undocumented community college students in conducting participatory action research, gathering interviews with family members, and student surveys, our research will inform how community colleges can provide institutional support and the proper resources for ethnically diverse undocumented students and their families. 

SSUMD: Socio-ecological and social-cognitive underpinnings of math difficulties for Latinx students 

 This project examines the roles of ethnic and gender stereotype vulnerabilities on the math achievement of Latina/o elementary school children. The project also aims to understand how parent ecologies (e.g., level of education, sense of school belonging, etc.) and discrimination stress may relate to students' math outcomes. We are analyzing survey data.