2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

BOARD # 350: Degree Attainment and Social Mobility of STEM Students at Two Hispanic Majority Institutions

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session II

Hispanic-serving institutions have a significant impact on the students and communities they serve. This study, which followed former students from Hispanic-majority institutions who participated in a summer undergraduate research experience between 2019 and 2023, is of utmost importance. As alumni graduated with a STEM degree and entered the workforce, they reported on their K-12 preparation, academic support, obstacles that extended their time to degree, transition to the workforce, and the impact higher education had on their intragenerational socio-economic status. The methodology for this study follows a mixed-methods approach that includes separate sets of online surveys and interviews on degree completion and social mobility. One of the goals of this research is to underscore the critical role of social mobility in the academic and professional success of Hispanic students in STEM disciplines. A second goal is to understand Hispanic students' challenges while they pursue their STEM degrees, particularly for students who transfer from community colleges who see extended time to degree.

Currently, there is limited work on intragenerational social mobility as it applies to Hispanic STEM students. We hope to spark further research and broaden our understanding of social mobility in this context. In addition, by researching the challenges the students face while navigating their academic ecosystems, this project contributes to research that points to ways to build better STEM pathways for nontraditional students. The results of this work, which are crucial for advancing our understanding, should inform the research community how HSIs committed to access to education can increase graduation rates, reduce time to degree, promote the development of professional identities, and benefit from economic mobility.

Authors

Pilar Gonzalez University of Texas at El Paso [biography]

Ms. Pilar Gonzalez, a Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Texas System Louise Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (UT System LSAMP), is also a doctoral candidate in the Teaching, Learning, and Culture (TLC) Ph.D. program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in the STEM strand. Her research, which uniquely stems from her Hispanic background, focuses on the impact of a STEM degree on Hispanic social mobility. With over 15 years of teaching experience, from early childhood (EC) through undergraduate school, she comprehensively understands the field. She has been instrumental in implementing STEM in grade school and observing the influence of students being exposed to STEM at an early age.
Gonzalez's research focuses on STEM education, and she has contributed to the field through several presentations, where her work was published with the proceedings, such as at: Frontiers in Education (FIE, 2023, 2024, 2008), GradExpo (UTEP, 2024, 2025), Louis Stokes Midwest Regional Center of Excellence (LSMRCE, 2023, 2022), InSPIRE/UTEP Edge (2023), HACU Annual Conference on Hispanic Higher Education (2022), and Future African Space Explorers (FASESA, 2022).
Gonzalez holds a master's degree in STEM education from UTEP and is a member of ASEE, the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA), IEEE, and ASCD. In addition to her academic work, she actively supports schools and teams participating in For Inspiration and Recognition for Science and Technology (FIRST), with a particular focus on those comprised of minority students. She also researched teacher preparation programs for bilingual education (BED) and English as a second language (ESL). Currently Ms. Gonzalez is the Senior Coordinator for the Hopper-Dean Center of Excellence for Computer Science Education, at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Dr. Benjamin C. Flores University of Texas at El Paso [biography]

Dr. Benjamin C. Flores joined the faculty of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in 1990 after receiving his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University. He holds the Forrest O. and Henrietta Lewis Professorship in Electrical Engineering. Dr. Flores' research interests include STEM student success strategies, first generation student social capital, holistic mentoring, and co-curricular high-impact practices.
Song An University of Texas at El Paso
Karime H Smith University of Texas at El Paso

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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