This article reports results from an applied research project between Catholic Charities Community Services Southside Center (CCCSSC) and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (DSA) at Saint Louis University. In August 2010, CCCSSC and DSA began working on a project called Engaging Latinos in Access to Counseling and Education (EnLACE). The findings from this research were threefold: first, the empirical data suggest that quality of life among Latino immigrants was affected by perceived quality of health, money, transportation, enjoyment of life, perception of safety, leisure, work, and sex; second, based on our critical reflection, we have identified four lessons that we can build on to strengthen future Participatory Action Research (PAR); and third, we offer EnLACE as an example where applied academic research can be conducted while preserving the principles of PAR.
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