The Latinx community is a fast-growing population in the United States. With notable increases over the years, the Latinx population has become one of the nation's most significant "minority" groups and largest youth populations. As Latinos grow in America they grow in higher education. It is also essential to recognize that the Latinx demographic comprises different subpopulations with their own stories and cultural experiences. One of the most significant Latino sub-populations in higher education is individuals who identify as Chicanx. Chicanx, by definition, is a population with cultural ties originating from Mexico. Chicanx represents all Chicanx people, eliminating the feminine and masculine identifiers. Chicana is the female population with cultural ties originating from Mexico or identifying as Mexican American (Hurtado, 2021; Mirande & Enriquez, 1981).
The general enrollment rates of the Chicana/o student population in higher education institutions have increased over the years. However, in comparison to other Latinx-identified subpopulations, the persistence and retention rates of Chicanas have progressed at a slower rate (Villasenor et al., 2013). Lower retention rates for the Chicana undergraduate student population reveal that with years of research, there continues to be an achievement gap for the Chicana undergraduate students that impacts future educational aspirations, which means lower Chicana representation in positions of higher education leadership or faculty (Perez Huber et al.,2015).
Research suggests there is a relationship between increased retention rates to engagement with ethnic homogeneous communities, and mentoring relationships (Bordes & Arredondo, 2005). Unfortunately, there is minimal opportunity for this type of mentorship since statistical information also reveals the low representation of Chicanas in leadership and faculty roles. When Chicanas reach those leadership and faculty positions, they are often not retained. However, the literature suggests that Mujerista Theology informed mentorship benefits both the Mentee and Mentor, building community and contributing to retention efforts.
This qualitative case study explored an institution's Mujerista Mentorship program and studied the Chicana Mentor and Mentee relationship. The purpose was to understand if the mentorship relationship impacts the Chicana undergraduate (Mentee) degree attainment and the Chicana staff or faculty (Mentor) retention and, if so, how. The study involved eight total participants who are involved in a mentorship partnership, so it is a total of four mentorship pairs. All participants were involved in one individual semi-structured interview and one paired interview to collect their testimonios. Some key findings from the research were that participants found power in Chicana representation, found each other to be a source of empowerment and that both Mentor and Mentee gained an invaluable relationship. The research suggests that the relationship contributed to the Mentor and Mentee persistence as they found each other inspirational and motivational. Limitations of this study included the researcher's positionality in the research and the fact that it was only a sample of Chicanas participating in a mentorship program. The implications of this data emphasizes the benefit of implementing Mujerista Theology and Mentorship into practice at higher education institutions to retain Chicanas as undergraduate students, staff, and faculty.
