ABOUT THIS BOOK

Winner of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Edited Volume Book of the Year Award

Winner of the 2026 Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Educational Research Award from the American Educational Research Association

The growing population of engineering students who identify as Latin* are underrepresented in the field of engineering. Latin* refers to an individual of Latin American origin or descent, without restricting to a specific gender. The asterisk (*) includes related identity terms such as Latina/é/o/u/x.There is, however, a rising need to train U.S. students in engineering skills to meet the demands of our increasingly technological workforce. Structurally excluding Latin* students hinders their economic and educational opportunities in engineering. Latin* Students in Engineering examines the state of Latin* engineering education at present as well as considerations for policy and practice regarding engineering education aimed at enhancing opportunity and better serving Latin* students. The essays in this volume first consider, theoretically and empirically, the experiences of Latin* students in engineering education and then expand beyond the student level to focus on institutional and social structures that challenge Latin* students' success and retention. Finally, it illuminates emergent work and considers future research, policy, and practice.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

LARA PEREZ-FELKNER is associate professor of higher education and sociology at Florida State University, Tallahassee.
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SARAH L. RODRIGUEZ is associate professor of engineering education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

CIERA FLUKER is an associate researcher at Florida State University, Tallahassee.

REVIEWS

"The authors whose perspectives comprise this book are a 'who’s who' of Latin* scholars and practitioners in engineering education. The result is complementary variety of topics, methodologies, theoretical frameworks, and perspectives on practice that make this a seminal book."— Julie P. Martin, Engineering Education Transformations Institute director at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA

"Latin* Students in Engineering: An Intentional Focus on a Growing Population is timely in that we need more research on broadening participation of Latin* (Latino/a/x) students in engineering. The editors and chapter authors provide a comprehensive approach to improving the outcomes of Latin* students from understanding their experiences within engineering to how postsecondary institutions can become more inclusive and supportive of this population. Moreover, this edited volume provides a strength-based approach rather than a deficit lens. It is refreshing as strengths-based interventions and strategies signal that Latin* students do not need fixing; rather postsecondary institutions must transform their culture to focus on unlocking and unleashing the potential of Latin* students by using a culturally responsive paradigm."— Erik M. Hines, co-editor of Equity-Based Career Development and Postsecondary Transitions: An American Imperative

"This book says and does it all! Here, the editors have masterfully compiled higher education’s most advanced insights, theories, and practices that can support Latin* students in engineering and transform the institutions that serve them. From the honest and gripping accounts of discrimination against Latin* students, to the critical analyses that explain how deeply systems and structures of higher education are rooted in oppression, to the inventive strategies that offer us hope for a diverse engineering workforce in the future, readers from all disciplines will be inspired."— Kelly Mack, vice president for undergraduate STEM education and executive director, Project Kaleidoscope, Americ

"What a great collection! This book brings together contributions from leading interdisciplinary scholars to challenge our thinking about what we all need to do to support Latin* engineering students. It’s not the students who need to change—it’s the institutions that need to change. This book gives deep insight to the complex, intersectional identities of Latin* engineering students as well as concrete examples of how to put this call into action."— Maura Borrego, director of the Center for Engineering Education and professor of mechanical engineering and STEM ed

"Landmark scholarship about Latinx engineers and engineering education. The editors have assembled an intersectional team of authors who offer a way forward for diversifying engineering and advancing social justice in education."— Ebony McGee, editor of Diversifying STEM: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Race and Gender

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword
Michelle M. Camacho
1 Updating the Narrative on Latin* Engineering Students and the Institutions That Could Better Serve Them
Lara Perez-Felkner, Sarah L. Rodriguez, and Ciera Fluker

Part I: Examining the Experiences of Latin* Students in Engineering
2 The Importance of Engineering Identity for Latinx Students
Sarah L. Rodriguez, Maria L. Espino, Morgan Nichols, and Brian D. Le
3 “I Don’t Think This Is the Place for You”: The Belonging Cues That Latina/o/x Students Receive as They Navigate within and across Engineering Environments
Tonisha B. Lane, Blanca Rincón, and René Hernandez
4 Beyond Ethnic Identity: The Intersectional Experience of Latina/o/x Students in Engineering with Stereotype Threats
Erin Doran, Elizabeth Turochy, Michael A. Perez, Christina Poleacovschi, and Timothy Yuen
5 Examining the Funds of Knowledge That Support Latinx Students’ Engineering Identity Development and Career Certainty
Dina Verdín
6 How Latinx Students Engage Social and Navigational Capital to Resist Exclusionary Engineering Education
Renata A. Revelo and Janice Mejía

Part II: Structural Issues and Intersectionality For Latin* Students in Engineering
7 A Critical Mixed Methods Analysis of Latin* Engineering Students in Diverse Contexts
Lara Perez-Felkner, Ciera Fluker, and Da’shay Templeton
8 Ser marica es pa’ machos [Ser bicha é pra macho]: Agency, Activism, and Coping While Engineering
Héctor E. Rodríguez-Simmonds, Leonardo Pollettini Marcos, Cristián Vargas-Ordóñez, and Kevin Jay Kaufman-Ortiz
9 Studying Latinas’ Experiences in Engineering Courses: Toward a Conceptual Framework
Selyna Pérez Beverly and Lisa R. Lattuca
10 The Role of Dual Credits in Socializing Latinx Students for Engineering Fields
Taryn Ozuna Allen, Christine Hall, and Courtney Matthews
11 What about Disabled Latina/o/xs in Engineering?
Lisette E. Torres and Krystal Peralez
12 Latina Resilience in Engineering: Strategies of Success in a Hispanic-Serving Institution
Elsa M. González and Emma Claudia Pérez
13 Empoderamiento a Través del Testimonio: Learning about a College of Engineering’s Mission to Become a Latinx-Serving College in a Predominately White Institution
Diana Garza, Adriana Facundo, Ulises Trujillo Garcia, and Esther A. Enright
14 Future Directions and Implications for Latin* Engineering
Lara Perez-Felkner, Ciera-Fluker, and Sarah L. Rodriguez

Notes on Contributors
Index