The Journey to Graduate School: An Exploration of First-Generation Latine Students’ Transmission of Knowledge to Capital

Abstract

Graduate education often serves as an opportunity for Latine students to leverage their social, familial, and cultural capital as an avenue for increased economic prosperity. However, the journey to pursue a graduate education can be challenging as students often have to navigate multiple roles and identities that lead to feelings of guilt, separation, and stress. Therefore, this study expands our understanding of the familial role in Latine students’ development of graduate school aspirations through the following research question: how do first-generation Latine students (FGLSs) activate funds of knowledge within familial contexts and transmit them into capital as tools to develop their graduate school aspirations? Utilizing plática methodology and educational journey mapping, I explore how five FGLSs draw upon their funds of knowledge from familial contexts and activate it into linguistic, aspirational, and familial capital on their journey to graduate school. The findings highlight FGLSs’ motivations to attend graduate school with a focus on the activation of funds of knowledge from familial contexts to capital as primary contributors in their development of graduate school aspirations.