Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Applied Human Sciences

Committee Chair

Erin McHenry-Sorber

Committee Member

John Campbell

Committee Member

Melissa Sherfinski

Committee Member

Nathan Sorber

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how Latino male international graduate students navigate identity, belonging, and exclusion within U.S. higher education. Although international enrollment has increased, the experiences of this student population remain largely invisible in research and institutional practice. Guided by Intersectionality and Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), this study investigates how intersecting dimensions of race, language, age, gender, and immigration status shape these students’ academic and social experiences. Using a critical narrative methodology, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and identity web exercises with four participants. Employing story chaining to link individual narratives, four central themes emerged: 1) Racialized and Linguistic Marginalization, 2) Institutional Neglect and Economic Insecurity, 3) Negotiating Identity Amid Bureaucratic and Cultural Constraints, and 4) Navigating Exclusion While Pursuing Belonging. Findings highlight the need for higher education institutions to adopt culturally and linguistically responsive advising, develop inclusive community spaces, and reconsider rigid identity classifications that obscure the diversity of Latino international students. By amplifying their voices, this study contributes to more equitable understandings of identity, belonging, and representation in globalized higher education.

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