| dc.description.abstract |
The Hispanic population of the United States is a growing community. Studieshave shown an increase in the number of Hispanics enrolling in college, yet the numberof Hispanics persisting through graduation has remained static. The purpose of thecurrent study was to determine the impact of the Greater Kansas City HispanicDevelopment Fund Scholarship Program (GKC-HDFSP) on the access to and persistencein college for its recipients. A sample of 12 recipients was selected through a randomsampling of respondents to the 2012 GKC-HDFSP survey. The participants describedtheir college experiences during individual interviews. Through qualitative interviewsand document analysis, data were gathered and analyzed to determine themes.Five themes emerged that reflected the students’ thoughts and perceptions of theircollege experiences. These themes included (1) deficiency of college-going information;(2) inability to pay for college; (3) sense of belonging; (4) encouragement from others;and (5) internal motivation. The findings present implications for high schools, colleges,and community organizations responsible for meeting the needs of a growing Hispanicpopulation. |
en_US |