Supporting Latina Students in Engineering and Computing

Research-based strategies for creating inclusive higher education spaces that encourage Latina student success in engineering and computer science

In Supporting Latina Students in Engineering and Computing, Sarah L. Rodriguez presents a series of evidence-based strategies to foster a sense of belonging and inclusion among Latina students in engineering and computing programs. This work emphasizes the need for asset-based, culturally rooted perspectives to shift departmental culture and enrich the educational experiences of Latina students, who have been historically underrepresented in these fields.

Rodriguez suggests a multipronged approach involving practitioners in all areas of higher education, including administration, faculty, advisory staff, student organizations, and community partners, to achieve a collective impact. She demonstrates how efforts such as inclusive curricula, relationship building, and robust peer resources increase equity in higher education spaces. Drawing on Chicana feminist theory, she calls for antiracist, restorative, and critical methods as ways to resist systemic exclusion and oppression as well as honor and shape the intersectional identities of Latina students in undergraduate STEM programs.

Through vignettes of student and practitioner experiences and spotlights on organizational successes, the work shows how targeted supports can engage students through their interests, improve student competence and confidence, and expand diversity of thought, which can in turn lead to Latina student persistence in college and later success in the engineering and computing workforce.