This study uncovers the experiences of Latinos/as in allied health graduate programs and provides vital information which may help increase the number of Latino/a healthcare providers. It focuses on the testimonios (life narratives) of 9 Latinos/as who graduated from allied health graduate programs. Academic resilience and community cultural wealth theories framed the study while testimonio methodology guided data collection. Alumni were interviewed about the personal experiences and educational journeys that led them to successfully complete graduate allied health degrees. Participants’ family background, educational history, personal and environmental factors were considered. Participants described learning about the value of education early in their lives in home and school settings. The interviews also revealed the importance of participants’ personal drive and desire to excel academically and professionally. Participants noted that the academic rigor and adjustment required to succeed in graduate allied health programs, combined with feelings of social isolation, made their transition to the graduate program challenging. Family and social networks were noted as the most supportive in regards to participants’ retention and success. Research implications include the use of methodologies and theoretical frameworks which focus on the voices and experiences of underrepresented students in the allied health professions. Implications for allied health schools include intentional recruitment of underrepresented student populations, the establishment of social support systems, student affairs offices, and the inclusion of social class, ethnicity, and cultural diversity as standards by which allied health schools are rated for accreditation and re-accreditation purposes.

abstract: Since the passing of anti-immigration laws, Latinos/as have become more vulnerable to racial profiling, thus increasing the chances of having negative interactions with police officers regardless of documentation status. Within criminology fields it has been reported that Latinos/as in general hold a higher fear towards the police when compared to Whites. However, there is has been limited research capturing perceptions of police officers using a quantitative approach. Method: 26 items were developed and was hypothesized to have 3 subscales: Fear of Police Officers, Anxiety of Interacting with Police Officers, and Self-Perceptions of How Police View Latinos/as. The final analytic sample included 288 self-identified as Latinos/as using an online survey. Most of the participants (92.7%) indicated being either U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Results: Results indicated that there were 3 latent factor structure of the POPS with Cronbach’s alpha’s above 0.9. Results from the Pearson bivariate analysis indicated that POPS sub-scale Anxiety of Interacting of police officers positively correlated with anxiety symptoms (r = .47, p < .01). In addition, POPS sub-scale Fear of Police Officers positively correlated with anxiety symptoms (r = .43, p < .01). POPS sub-scale Perceptions of Police Officers (r = .36, p < .01). Furthermore, direct negative past experiences with police officers had a moderation effect between the associations of self-perceptions of how police view Latinos/as and psychological distress by enhancing the relationship between those two variables (ΔR2= .25, F (2, 297) = 31.82, p < .05; (β = -.16, p > .05). Conclusion: This study contributes to our knowledge on self-perceptions of police among ethnic minorities and its association with mental health. These findings warrant attention for law enforcement and health service providers as it can help assist in understanding the mechanism involved in the development of Latino/a mental health disparities. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Counseling Psychology 2018

This study tested predictions that potentially explain why Latinos, despite being disadvantaged in a number of ways related to poor health such as low education and low income, still fare better for some health outcomes compared to Anglos; A phenomenon know as the Latino health paradox. In particular, loneliness was hypothesized as a key mediator in the relationship between Latino cultural values and three health outcomes: overall health, depression and engaging in protective health practices. Cultural values of familism and spiritual well-being were predicted to be inversely related to loneliness, and reduced loneliness was predicted to be associated with beneficial health outcomes. Ethnicity (i.e., being Latino) was also hypothesized to predict endorsement of cultural values. Participants were 319 adults, including 116 Anglos and 139 Latinos between the ages of 19-88. Results indicated that being Latino predicted endorsing the values of spiritual well-being and familism. Spiritual well-being had an association with better health through reduced loneliness for both Latinos and Anglos, and the effect size was greater for Latinos. Familism predicted reduced loneliness and had a significant indirect effect on health through loneliness for Anglos, but not for Latinos; a result that may be attributable to the obligatory nature of familial relationships in Latino culture. Finally, age did not moderate the impact of familism or spiritual well-being on health through loneliness for Latinos or Anglos, suggesting that the indirect effects on health through loneliness are consistent throughout the lifespan.

This dissertation is a critical ethnographic study of institutional, ideological, and cultural factors influencing the educational pathways of low-income Latino/a students. The study lasted for nine months, and research was conducted in two field sites: a public high school and a public university in the Southwest. There were eighteen research participants--seventeen students and one teacher. A funds of knowledge approach combined with a Latino/a Critical Theory lens and best practices in college access allow a consideration of these factors in public schooling. I balanced institutional data with interviews, writing samples, and class discussions, and I found that factors hindering students' persistence included material conditions such as overcrowding, ideological constraints such as low expectations, and a cultural disconnect between students' values and the values embedded in school curricula and policies. Although these Latino/a students demonstrate experiential critical literacy, the students are not given an opportunity to connect their lived experiences to theory in school, which can hinder college-going attitudes. To foster critical democracy, practitioners of First-Year Composition have an opportunity to rethink our purpose and goals to make sure that what we advocate in theory--college persistence for all students--matches up with our practice. This study suggests remedies to ensure that in a system in which social, economic, and political inequities are fed by and feed our inequitable educational system, we can take an active role in reshaping the educational pipeline by working in partnership with public schools and communities to bring equity to college access and retention efforts.

This dissertation is a case study of Radio Bilingüe, a community-driven, non-profit, radio network with transnational reach. With this case, I examine the reasons that gave way to the development of the radio, including focusing on the roles of media practitioners as producers of radio content and facilitators of community participation and the significance of the radio in the lives of Latino communities living across the United States. Methodologically, this is a qualitative study based on ethnographic methods of inquiry and archival research. Through ethnographic methods, it was possible to describe the roles of media practitioners, while archival research was carried out to gather a number of primary and secondary documents, which were analyzed through textual analysis to piece together the history of Radio Bilingüe. Throughout the study I weave together a few interrelated areas: first, I chronicle the history and structure of the radio station that for nearly 34 years has been at the service of underserved and under-presented Latino immigrants living in the United States; second, I examine the profession of media practitioners and their participatory practices for community engagement; and finally, I discuss the place of the radio in the lives of its listening audience to understand how it helps sustain community ties and shape identity across local, national, and transnational places.

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