In this article, we suggest that just as there are barriers and challenges that are particular to Chicanas/Latinas in terms of student retention and persistence, so must the mentoring offered to these students take into account their particular social, cultural, and gendered contexts. In response, we argue for a model of mujerista mentoring, building on the work of Chicana/Latina feminist scholars and employing Gloria Anzaldua's notion of mestiza consciousness. Mujerista mentoring provides an alternative to traditional mentoring that focuses on assimilation by the protégé into the dominant culture of an institution of higher education. Instead, we suggest the need to bridge the academic, professional, and the personal in a culturally specific framework in order to create more meaningful and enduring mentoring relationships in the service of Chicana/Latina students' academic success.
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