| Across colleges and universities in the United States, few Latino men are reaching higher education. Saenz and Ponjuan call this phenomenon the ''vanishing" of Latino men in higher education. Much of the literature examining the presence of Latino men in higher education utilizes a cultural deficit approach to explain why students of color are underrepresented. Because of this, little is known about Latinos who successfully navigate their way to and through college despite complications and barriers.;The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to explore the significant factors that contributed to college going for Latino men and to understand how they navigated the various points along the educational pipeline to attain degrees and enroll in graduate, doctoral, or professional degree programs. As such, this study was guided by the anti-deficit achievement framework, structuring research questions to focus on successes and positive attributes of participants as they progress along the educational pipeline.;The findings from 22 interviews with self-identified Latino men revealed throughout the entirety of the educational pipeline, family support and peer influence in K-12 environments, college, and post-college was salient in promoting college going, college completion, and graduate school enrollment for Latino men. Coupled with family support and peer influence, supportive high school teachers, college access programs, engaging college professors, and student support programs also promoted Latino men's success at each pipeline point. The results of this study and the implied importance of peers, a supportive significant other, and the family throughout the educational pipeline for Latino men can be utilized to shape practical recommendations and suggested policy initiatives around peer programs, academic cohort models, and policies regarding academic couples. |
