Ingenieras Mexicanas in the making

One persisting problem in STEM higher education, has been the underrepresentation of women and BIPOC (i.e. black, indigenous, and people of color) in engineering higher education. Despite a slow improvement in their share of engineering bachelor’s degrees, current rates are far from being satisfactory, and their academic experiences continue to be tainted with gross discrimination. Furthermore, within racial and ethnic underrepresented categories in higher education, one particular group of interest is the Mexican American community. As the Mexican American community keeps growing, so does their share of college-age individuals; yet, Mexican Americans tends to be underrepresented in 4-years institutions, respective to their actual population share. Texas women of Mexican heritage pursuing a degree in engineering emerge as a unique demographic at the intersection of the problematics introduced above. Their embodied minoritized, intersectional identities can make them particularly vulnerable to bigotry, an underserved K-12 education background, cultural gaps, machismo, and other barriers that may hinder their academic goals; yet, they persist. Therefore, it is invaluable for researchers in STEM education to learn directly from their experiences, especially when most empirical studies tend to homogenize Pan American identities under unifying labels such as Chicana or Latina. The present study consists on a phenomenological investigation involving 32 Mexican American female students, enrolled in undergraduate engineering programs at a southwestern predominantly White university. Pertinent frameworks employed include LatCrit Theory, Self-Silencing Model, Ambivalent Sexism Theory, Borderlands Theory, and Familism. The empirical component of this work is divided in three analytical chapters, covering themes ranging from family history to how students fare against discrimination in the classroom. Through a careful analysis of the participants’ narratives, each chapter brings to the front important discussions about gender, race, and engineering education culture. This dissertation is closed by synthesizing the analytical chapter’s outcomes. Limitations and venues for future research are also discussed