U.S. Central Americans: Reconstructing Memories, Struggles, and Communities of Resistance is a critical anthology focusing on the narratives, experiences, and complexities of the Central American diaspora. Historically, scholarly work has addressed Central Americans through the eyes of “outsiders”, trauma, war, and violence; while this anthology highlights those very real and traumatic histories, it also centralizes the histories of Central American resilience and resistance. At a time when Central American youth are migrating to the U.S. alone and the presidential administration sees Central American youth and their families as bargaining chips in immigration policy, this anthology presents us with a critical examination of the U.S. interventions that have propelled migration to the U.S. Within a U.S. context, the contributing authors examine questions of identity, cultural production, gendered experiences, and transnationalism. Although the anthology is not grounded in the field of education, it is a valuable contribution to any scholar who is invested in Latinx student success and equity by providing the language and analysis necessary to understand the complexities and heterogeneity of Latinxs in the U.S.

Historically, scholars have researched and discussed Central Americans in fields such as sociology, migration studies, and anthropology. However, there is a limited amount of literature in the field of education and more so in higher education, that addresses the unique experiences of Central Americans in the U.S. educational system (Torres, 2004). As an part of a larger study, this paper documents and analyzes the testimonios of thirty-five first and second generation Central American youth who have attended high school and college in the U.S. By applying a Critical Race Theory (CRT) analysis (in conjunction with other frameworks) to the testimonios of the thirty-five youth, we find that amidst severe class, race, and gender discrimination in schools, the youth are able to be extremely resilient. Through their testimonios, we also argue that it is important for education systems to pay closer to attention to the heterogeneity of the Latinx population in the U.S. to not further marginalization already marginalized communities.

Latina/o/x college enrollment has steadily increased over the last few years. Nonetheless, Latina/o/x postsecondary enrollment is disproportionate to the rapidly growing Latina/o/x population in the U.S. Relatedly, systemic barriers remain in place that hinder Latina/o/x academic outcomes and post-baccalaureate graduate school participation. In response to these issues, there is an increase in scholarship in the field of higher education that addresses Latina/o/x student issues and success. While significant, most of this research has treated the study of Latina/o/xs from a perspective that views them as a monolithic group with limited attention paid to the group's heterogeneity. There is a need to problematize this practice as it erases nuances that are relevant to how educational issues are addressed in research, practice, and policy. Therefore, to best respond and support Latina/o/x students, the field must have the most nuanced information about the diversity amongst the Latina/o/x to avoid coming to harmful misunderstandings about their experiences. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the guiding theoretical framework, this study explores how Central American students make sense of their lived experiences separate from, yet in relation to the broader Latina/o/x population. Additionally, this study situates what is learned about Central American lived experiences more broadly in the context of the postsecondary institution where they are enrolled. Using a phenomenological qualitative research design, the data for this study were drawn from eleven testimonios collected from individual platicas with Central American undergraduate-level students enrolled at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Data from a critical discourse and content analysis of the UCSC’s web pages were utilized as a secondary data source to contextualize students’ testimonios. This study challenges the majoritarian narrative that positions Central Americans solely in relation to war, trauma, and invisibility. While those are facets of the lived experiences of many, this study challenges the U.S.’ imagination and perception of Central Americans by highlighting their voices and experiences as college students. Findings from this study shed light on Central Americans’ unique positionalities, lived experiences, and characteristics that are often ignored but have an important role in shaping their experiences as college students. Implications from this study include the need to challenge the practice of applying a one-size-fits-all approach to Latina/o/x students and their needs. This is a major oversight in how the field should be supporting Latina/o/x student success and addressing the systemic barriers that hinder said success. Findings from this study inform how the field needs to be paying closer attention to the heterogeneity of the Latina/o/x population. While this study focused on the subgroup of Central Americans, it has implications and informs what is known about Latina/o/xs and Latina/o/x college experiences more broadly.