ABSTRACT
Latinx workers tend to be concentrated in low-skilled positions and earn the lowest wages for full-time and salary positions among all major race and ethnic groups. A critical component to promoting a warm college climate is the concept of a sense of belonging. Traditional understandings of belonging emphasize connections to the university itself without fully addressing cultural adjustment and external communities relevant to the Latinx college integration process. Due to Latinx’s historical, societal position, and patterns of marginalization on college campuses, Latinx undergraduates are vulnerable to experiencing dissonance between their home culture and that of their institutions of higher education. The concept of academic families can include Latinx and non-Latinx staff and faculty who intentionally contribute to the social integration process of Latinx students. Quality mentoring results in the transfer of knowledge and skills that empowers students to grow personally and academically.
