In 2022, Dr. Gloria I. Montiel and I, Cris, presented at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). We shared our insight with fellow practitioners, but what we realize is that so much of that information stays behind pay walls, only available for those in The Ivory Tower. Rather than hoard our wisdom, we have decided to share it online for anyone who may benefit from this information. While some of it is outdated, the core of the work is about how educational practitioners can engage reflexively to work with and for undocumented students and students from mixed status families. We are no longer teaching for this program, but we are committed to our communities beyond the institution.
Excerpt from our NASPA proposal:
It is also important to acknowledge that everyone in this program is a co-creator and through our lived experiences we have shaped the certificate program. This program has evolved over time as new questions arise, as policy changes, and as the cohort of students changes. This program supports practitioners engage in a process of discussing issues faced by undocumented students and students from mixed status families and moving toward action. Practitioners are innovative while creating solutions to complex issues. This is also a space where we are reflexive about our own privileges, positionalities, assumptions, and perspectives. Reflexivity is part of our praxis. As part of this co-teaching and co-mentoring partnership, we engage in reflexive platicas before and after class to flesh out ideas, critically reflect on interactions with students, adapt our teaching, and to check-in on each other. We are guided by the wisdom passed down by the elders and ancestors in our communities as well as our own wisdom we have acquired. Our lived experiences have guided the theoretical frameworks we have braided together for the program.
Thank you, Dr. Montiel, for your ongoing support and willingness to share the wisdom we co-created. Thank you to our students for going on this learning and unlearning journey.