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Their voices, their stories: A critical narrative inquiry study on the gendered experiences of Latino men in community college
Get PDFThe enrollment of Latino students entering community colleges is steadily increasing, yet significant gaps remain in completion and success rates, particularly among Latino male students who lag behind their female counterparts. This discrepancy is a growing concern that demands deeper exploration. For many Latinos, traditional gender roles profoundly influence their decision-making processes, shaping opportunities to pursue higher education. Factors such as family obligations, financial responsibilities, and the machismo mentality often hinder the educational progress of Latino men. To gain a greater understanding of these gendered experiences, this study employed a qualitative critical narrative inquiry approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 10 Latino male community college students. This research, guided by Gender Role Conflict Theory (GRCT) and analyzed through the Socio-Ecological Outcomes (SEO) model, explored how cultural and gender dynamics affect their persistence, success, and the utilization of college resources. Three major themes emerged from the findings: the balance between family and culture, the impact of masculinity and machismo, and the socio-ecological factors affecting success. The implications of the findings reveal that family and culture intersect shaping the educational journey of Latino men, as cultural expectations of masculinity often dictate their behaviors and sense of purpose. Additionally, institutional factors, including faculty support, counseling services, and academic resources, play a critical role in influencing their persistence and success. iThese results contribute to the limited body of knowledge on the experiences of male Latino students in community colleges. By amplifying the voices of participants, the study provides valuable insights for educators and institutions aiming to foster equity and better support the unique challenges faced by this population
Hope is the Thing with Feathers: A Graduate Recital
Get PDF"'Hope' is the Thing with Feathers" is a master recital being given on May 8th, 2025 in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music in Music, Performance degree from California State University Northridge. It features works by Giulio Caccini, Richard Strauss, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Francis Poulenc, Vincenzo Bellini, Samuel Barber, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. The accompanying paper illustrates the role that hope plays in music and how the societal and economic events surrounding the composition of the pieces affected not only the experience of the characters singing the music, as in the case of opera, but the composer as well. Through the Renaissance and the interest that was developed in humanism, the Age of Enlightenment and the focus on human rights, the Romantic Era ushered in by the Congress of Vienna, and the catastrophic affect The Third Reich had on the world, this paper uses historical events to explore the context of each composition. It is important for the modern listener to not only understand the music and the story illustrated by the composition itself, but the historical context during which each composition was written. Without an understanding of the events surrounding the composers and what might have driven them to write the music, the works can only be understood and consumed on a superficial level. By digging deeper, the modern audience will understand the words and the meaning of the song the composer may have hoped for, meaning that is lost in the quick and technology driven twenty-first century
ESL Curriculum for Level 0 Adult Spanish Speakers
No full text[ABSTRACT ONLY; NO FULL TEXT] Many of the United States' immigrant population consists of Spanish-speaking adults, many of whom are newcomers who never received any prior English education and are at Level 0 of English proficiency. These Level 0 Spanish-speaking adult learners face many challenges that are specific to their population, such as age, acculturation, low literacy, and L1 interference. A Needs Assessment (NA) was conducted on currently enrolled ESL students who fit the description of this learner group to collect information on their backgrounds and learning needs. The proposed English as a second language (ESL) curriculum development, titled ESL Curriculum for Level 0 Adult Spanish Speakers, was designed to fit the needs of these learners. The curriculum focuses on integrated oral skills and mirrors authentic language used in real life. There is no heavy emphasis on written grammar conventions - instead, learners are encouraged to use English in a realistic manner, both in colloquial contexts applicable to daily living and formal contexts applicable to work. The curriculum objectives are that, by the end of the course, students will be able to 1) introduce themselves and their personal information in English for different purposes (e.g., making new friends, meeting potential employers, meeting work colleagues) and 2) have a short colloquial conversation, consisting of questions, answers, and general statements, in English about real life topics (e.g., work, wellbeing, family, household, shopping). The improved oral skills gained throughout the course can be life-changing for learners, breaking the language barrier they previously faced and allowing them to expand opportunities in various areas of life, including work and school
A Wonderful Life
No full textI paint about computers and nature. I have always had computers in my home, which have not negated my experience with nature and with my own flesh, but have altered my understanding of them. The computer gave me an infinity of information at my fingertips, and I grew to know this machine as an omniscient being who would provide for me any time I asked. With an abundance of media, constant stimulation and instant gratification, I had kept everything within my expectations and control. However, in doing so, I deprived myself of any spontaneity in life, and the computer no longer felt shiny and new. I returned to my physical landscape for reprieve and discovered the surprises waiting for me from the sun; a slower, longer lasting fulfillment sourced by the trees, the clouds, and the dirt. These beings I'm already acquainted with, but they still had the potential to teach me something new. It's in finding balance between the physical and digital worlds that I discover the sublime in the mundane. My sketches and color studies begin behind the screen and evolve into tactile paintings, slowly worked in oil and color pencil, a mirror to the way nature interacts with synthetic materials. The sun shines down on a pane of glass, or a screen, and produces magnificent beams of light that would otherwise be invisible to the human eye
Crossed Signals
No full textThis screenplay is rooted in my lived experience as a Deaf stand-up comedian navigating barriers to performance and authenticity. From the challenge of working with interpreters to the daily struggle for accessible communication, these obstacles have shaped my creative voice. A trip to rural Montana, where cultural and linguistic misunderstandings were amplified, further inspired this story. By reframing the romantic comedy genre through a Deaf lens, the project explores how humorous and painful miscommunication can reveal deeper truths about identity, connection, and belonging. This work aims to celebrate Deaf culture, challenge assumptions, and highlight the power of authentic communication through American Sign Language. Crossed Signals is a sharp, R-rated romantic dramedy that blends culture clash comedy with heartfelt moments, following a Deaf Black comedian navigating the chaos of his white girlfriend's conservative, hearing family. With biting humor and emotional depth, the film explores miscommunication, identity, and love in a world where no one's speaking the same language, literally or figuratively. vi Logline: When a struggling Black Deaf comedian visits his hard-of-hearing girlfriend's ultra-conservative, ASL-clueless family in rural Montana, miscommunication, and Mayhem collides. Between culture shock, career doubts, and a family that can't quite hear him-literally or figuratively-he's got one last shot to win their approval, or at least survive the trip
The Strawman
No full text"After a twelve year-old aspiring inventor creates a walking-talking scarecrow, she's rejected by her farm town. Unable to accept a ban on inventing she takes off to find her hero, the legendary pilot Sky Masterson.
Analyzing Labor Market Trends and Social Indicators Using Linear Regression
No full text[ABSTRACT ONLY; NO FULL TEXT] Planning and making policy in economic terms are based on social indicators and labor market trends. Issues involving unemployment rate, literacy rate and the availability of fundamental facilities majorly impact national development. Indicating trends and predicting the future scenario of labor markets remain extremely difficult assignments. With factual data, the research tries to build a model forecasting labor market changes through an examination of the relations between significant labor market and social indicators. The analysis uses free access to world bank data and deals with social and labor market indicators such as life expectancy, illiteracy rate, unemployment and availability of basic services. Linear regression is used to determine correlations and make predictions of future labor market trends. To be able to make predictions for probable future labor market conditions, the model will be trained and tested on historical data. This research will give us a predictive model for understanding the trend of employment and social conditions of economists, labor market analysts, and policy makers. To make data based decisions and allow policy measures with a clear target to increase the level of employment and social welfare, historical statistics will be used in the study. The results will assist in predicting the labor market by providing information used towards manpower planning and economic development measures. Keywords: Labor Market, Social Indicators, Predictive Analysis, Linear Regression, Socioeconomic Factors, Labor Gap Participatio
Exploring Life Expectancy Using Analytics on World Bank Data
No full text[ABSTRACT ONLY; NO FULL TEXT] This project explores how life expectancy at birth is influenced by a wide range of global development factors across countries. Using data from the World Bank's World Development Indicators (WDI) and Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI) from 2004 to 2023, the goal is to identify indicators most strongly associated with life expectancy and examine how those relationships have evolved over time. To organize the analysis, selected indicators are grouped into environmental, health, and socioeconomic subcategories. This grouping allows for a more targeted evaluation of how different areas of development contribute to differences in health outcomes worldwide. The dataset was created by extracting and merging variables from WDI and SPI, reshaping them into wide format, and removing sparse rows and columns to ensure data quality. Indicators that did not clearly align with the selected subgroups were excluded, and preprocessing steps included scaling and imputing missing values. The analysis will be conducted in Python using a series of data analytics techniques: classification to group countries with similar development profiles, clustering to detect patterns across outcome levels, correlation and regression to evaluate variable strength, and time-series analysis to observe how trends in indicators correspond with changes in life expectancy over time. The anticipated outcome is a clearer understanding of how key development indicators relate to differences in life expectancy across countries. In addition to providing insights from the current dataset, this project contributes a structured and repeatable approach for working with large-scale international data. By making complex datasets more accessible and easier to analyze, the framework developed through this study can support future research and help inform evidence-based decision-making in global public health
Second Generation Oral History Project Keene Nguyen. Exploring Cultural Identity through the Vietnamese American Experience
No full textThe interview covers Keene Nguyen's experiences as a second-generation Vietnamese American. Keene discusses his upbringing in San Jose, where he felt a strong sense of belonging to the Vietnamese community due to the prevalence of Vietnamese culture and traditions. However, he also struggled with language barriers, as he is not fluent in Vietnamese despite understanding it. Keene describes the cultural differences and conflicts he has observed between first-generation Vietnamese immigrants and their American-raised children, noting the challenges of balancing Vietnamese and American identities. He shares how his parents' high expectations and strict parenting style impacted him growing up, though their relationship has improved over time. Overall, the interview provides insights into the complex experiences of navigating dual cultural identities as a second-generation Vietnamese American
Si Pudimos: Latinx Student Perceptions of Financial Aid
No full textIn 2018, 34% of Latinx students did not complete the FAFSA because they or their family did not have enough information on how to complete the process (Bahr et al., 2018). Further, 32% of Latinx college students financed their education out-of-pocket, reinforcing a trend where Latinx college students received less financial aid than other student groups despite having the lowest per capita income of any ethnic group in the United States—the greatest unmet need for those who need financial aid the most (Gross, 2011). Latinx students have historically struggled with completing the financial aid process, a problem that has impacted academic success indicators like persistence, completion, and retention (Boatman & Long, 2016; Nguyen et al., 2019; Trevino & DeFreitas, 2014). As a scholarly response to the problem, this qualitative phenomenological study included individual interviews and a focus group to examine the perceptions of first-generation Latinx students toward financial aid. As a researcher, I ultimately highlight findings from the study to possibly inform policy and practice to sculpt an equitable landscape for Latinx students.https://doi.org/10.46569/pz50h555