Latinx Undergraduates’ Navigation in the Context of COVID-19 and Racial Injustice

Abstract

Six self-identified, first-generation, Latinx, undergraduates from West Coast public institutions were recruited via social media to participate in individual, semi-structured, qualitative interviews about their experiences with COVID-19 and racial injustice during the summer and fall of 2020. Interviews explored challenges and meaning-making around what was happening in participants’ lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they experienced and made sense of those events. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to identify emergent themes that fell into two main categories: (a) Adversities and (b) Ways of Overcoming. Several subthemes also emerged and are discussed for each category, including various ways of facing adversity, such as reliance on family and friends. Results highlight the need for expanded resources for first-generation Latinx undergraduate students. Limitations and future directions, as well as implications for counseling psychology researchers, educators, and practitioners are discussed.