Every five minutes, one Latinx person in America turns 18.
Dr. Evans Igho Akpo
“HSIs are educating the largest, youngest, and fastest-growing minority population in the U.S.,” said Akpo. “But they have a lower rate of graduation compared to other races, and the lack of educational attainment for Latinx students impacts the welfare of the country.”
In order to better serve Latinx students, Akpo said, institutions must self-reflect and perform their own internal studies. As the Latinx population continues to grow in the U.S., more Predominately White Institutions are transformed into HSIs, federally designated as serving a student population that is at least 25% Latinx. This turnover can be a time of institutional reflection.
“Institutions are influencers,” said Akpo. “Educational leaders must examine their institution’s legacy of inclusion or exclusion.”
The Latinx Success Institute surveyed 51 Latinx identifying students at a community college in Texas, all first-generation, and posed the question: what keeps you enrolled in school? The answers split four ways: peers, financial aid, mentors, and learning. Learning was by far the most common answer, chosen by more than half of participants.
“I thought about this,” said Akpo. “Of course, they came to learn. But it means that the institution needs to understand the student to create a learning strategy.”
