3Game Plan: Latinx‐Factor Leaders
SOME OF THE OBSTACLES ROSALÍA Zárate encountered in college had to do with her experience as a Latina math major, being a first‐generation college/masters/doctoral graduate. Mathematics has always been an integral part of her life. Mathematics was a subject where her parents could provide assistance despite their language barrier; it became their common language. Many students grow up fearing math, but Rosalía grew up loving it; she found it challenging and exciting. However, while applying to undergraduate programs, she never considered majoring in math, although she excelled in the subject. She was unfamiliar with professions in mathematics; she neither had role models nor understand how it could be applied to the real world and, furthermore, her sisters (who also provided much guidance) did not know of others who fully understood the U.S. educational system (e.g., what different universities had to offer, how to get into graduate school, how to study, what research was, the importance of office hours and building a relationship with professors).
Arriving at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was overwhelming and a culture shock. As a Latina growing up in a more conservative household and community, going off to college far from home was beyond her ...
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