A group of about 15 college Latina girls are gathered around tables paging through Cosmopolitans and National Geographics, cutting, and gluing items onto a blank puzzle piece. Conversation is open and casual, yet central on the theme of “I am.” These girls are part of Colorado State University’s Las Comadres program, which aims to provide a social space for Latina students, as well as support them with their career goals and prepare them for a diverse society. The purpose of this research was to examine the nature of domestic-public dichotomies in this ethnographic setting, because of the unique cultural struggle Latinas face due to the role conflict they experience—between being a family member and student—as a result of the cultural concept
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In addition, the staff member interviewees were particularly informative. In the process of my investigation, I also discovered that Las Comadres is a relatively new program and it is only in its 3rd semester now and even within that timeframe the make-up of the members has changed. Another unique circumstance that I faced in the course of the research was how El Centro, the organization Las Comadres is based in, was relocated for a period of time due to college campus …show more content…
Insofar as domestic roles, or obligations, financial help, family business work, childcare, and especially presence in the home were mentioned. However, obligations are not always explicitly demanded, but rather voluntary (Sy and Romero 2008:219). For instance, according to staff, some students have worked multiple jobs instead of applying for scholarships to pay for college. A member also stated in their interview, “…I feel like I should work…but they’re [not necessarily] really requiring that of me.” Therefore, here we see how there are more dimensions to family obligations. While this fieldwork did not specifically seek to investigate first generation students, their situation did come up in interviews as presenting unique challenges in balancing familial obligations and
In addition, the staff member interviewees were particularly informative. In the process of my investigation, I also discovered that Las Comadres is a relatively new program and it is only in its 3rd semester now and even within that timeframe the make-up of the members has changed. Another unique circumstance that I faced in the course of the research was how El Centro, the organization Las Comadres is based in, was relocated for a period of time due to college campus …show more content…
Insofar as domestic roles, or obligations, financial help, family business work, childcare, and especially presence in the home were mentioned. However, obligations are not always explicitly demanded, but rather voluntary (Sy and Romero 2008:219). For instance, according to staff, some students have worked multiple jobs instead of applying for scholarships to pay for college. A member also stated in their interview, “…I feel like I should work…but they’re [not necessarily] really requiring that of me.” Therefore, here we see how there are more dimensions to family obligations. While this fieldwork did not specifically seek to investigate first generation students, their situation did come up in interviews as presenting unique challenges in balancing familial obligations and