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'I Don't Have White Privilege, but I Definitely Do Have a Latino Privilege': How Latinas Negotiate Racial Identity and Navigate Hegemonic Ideologies in Engineering

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Title: 'I Don't Have White Privilege, but I Definitely Do Have a Latino Privilege': How Latinas Negotiate Racial Identity and Navigate Hegemonic Ideologies in Engineering
Language: English
Authors: Summer Blanco (ORCID 0009-0008-5476-6227), Jessica Ortega, Tatiane Russo-Tait (ORCID 0000-0002-2606-2061)
Source: Journal of Engineering Education. 2026 115(2).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 29
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Descriptors: Latin Americans, Females, Engineering Education, Racial Identification, Racism, Race, Self Concept, Consciousness Raising, Biological Influences, Parent Background, Longitudinal Studies, Language Role, Physical Characteristics, Secondary School Students
DOI: 10.1002/jee.70060
ISSN: 1069-4730
2168-9830
Abstract: Background: The complexities of Latino/a/e/x racial identity remain underexplored in the context of engineering education. Here, we examine the experiences of five Latinas with engineering aspirations, focusing on how they understand their racialized identities and racial inequity in STEM. Purpose: To attend to the within-group heterogeneity in the Latino/a/e/x population in engineering and examine how this diversity shapes sensemaking about race and racial inequity. We leverage a longitudinal dataset to gain insight into what factors impact participants' critical consciousness over time. Method: Grounded in Critical Race Theory, we performed a secondary thematic analysis of 3 years of interviews with five Latinas with engineering aspirations. Drawing on Bonilla Silva's Tri-Racial hierarchy and Freire's Critical Consciousness frameworks, we explored how Latinos/as/es/xs' positioning in the US racial hierarchy supports or hinders their critical consciousness development. Results: Participants' skin color, language, and parents' country of origin were salient aspects of how they understood their racial identity, which positioned them as either White, racially ambiguous, or brown. This shaped their experiences in engineering spaces, engagement with hegemonic STEM narratives, and perceptions of racial inequities. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism in 2020 prompted an important shift in their critical consciousness development. Conclusions: Our findings have implications for research and practice. Researchers should consider (i) employing critical and intersectional frameworks to historicize and contextualize Latino/a/e/x racial identity and dispel the "myth of the monolith", and (ii) developing interventions that disrupt color-evasive rhetoric/practices and support the critical consciousness raising of STEM faculty and students.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504535
Database: ERIC
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  Data: 'I Don't Have White Privilege, but I Definitely Do Have a Latino Privilege': How Latinas Negotiate Racial Identity and Navigate Hegemonic Ideologies in Engineering
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Summer+Blanco%22">Summer Blanco</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5476-6227">0009-0008-5476-6227</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jessica+Ortega%22">Jessica Ortega</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tatiane+Russo-Tait%22">Tatiane Russo-Tait</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2606-2061">0000-0002-2606-2061</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Engineering+Education%22"><i>Journal of Engineering Education</i></searchLink>. 2026 115(2).
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 29
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Latin+Americans%22">Latin Americans</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Females%22">Females</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Engineering+Education%22">Engineering Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Racial+Identification%22">Racial Identification</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Racism%22">Racism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Race%22">Race</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Concept%22">Self Concept</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consciousness+Raising%22">Consciousness Raising</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biological+Influences%22">Biological Influences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Background%22">Parent Background</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Longitudinal+Studies%22">Longitudinal Studies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Role%22">Language Role</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Physical+Characteristics%22">Physical Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+School+Students%22">Secondary School Students</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1002/jee.70060
– Name: ISSN
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  Data: 1069-4730<br />2168-9830
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Background: The complexities of Latino/a/e/x racial identity remain underexplored in the context of engineering education. Here, we examine the experiences of five Latinas with engineering aspirations, focusing on how they understand their racialized identities and racial inequity in STEM. Purpose: To attend to the within-group heterogeneity in the Latino/a/e/x population in engineering and examine how this diversity shapes sensemaking about race and racial inequity. We leverage a longitudinal dataset to gain insight into what factors impact participants' critical consciousness over time. Method: Grounded in Critical Race Theory, we performed a secondary thematic analysis of 3 years of interviews with five Latinas with engineering aspirations. Drawing on Bonilla Silva's Tri-Racial hierarchy and Freire's Critical Consciousness frameworks, we explored how Latinos/as/es/xs' positioning in the US racial hierarchy supports or hinders their critical consciousness development. Results: Participants' skin color, language, and parents' country of origin were salient aspects of how they understood their racial identity, which positioned them as either White, racially ambiguous, or brown. This shaped their experiences in engineering spaces, engagement with hegemonic STEM narratives, and perceptions of racial inequities. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism in 2020 prompted an important shift in their critical consciousness development. Conclusions: Our findings have implications for research and practice. Researchers should consider (i) employing critical and intersectional frameworks to historicize and contextualize Latino/a/e/x racial identity and dispel the "myth of the monolith", and (ii) developing interventions that disrupt color-evasive rhetoric/practices and support the critical consciousness raising of STEM faculty and students.
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        PageCount: 29
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      – SubjectFull: Latin Americans
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      – SubjectFull: Females
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      – SubjectFull: Engineering Education
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      – SubjectFull: Racial Identification
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      – SubjectFull: Race
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      – SubjectFull: Self Concept
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      – SubjectFull: Consciousness Raising
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      – SubjectFull: Biological Influences
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      – SubjectFull: Parent Background
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