Bright, gifted, and talented. Those are the words often used to explain why some underrepresented students gain admission to college and do well there when so many do not. "It’s true—they are all those things," Richard Andalon says, "but there’s a story behind their struggle"—a story told in his dissertation for UCLA’s Education Leadership doctoral program. "I wanted to capture their voices and lived experiences."

Using a qualitative research approach, Richard focused on 10 Mexican American juniors and seniors at UCLA—five men and five women. Some came directly to UCLA from high school, whereas others began their studies in community colleges. Some came from one-parent and others from two-parent homes. Some parents were recent immigrants, and two of the students were undocumented themselves just before or during their time at UCLA.

All came from households earning $15,000 a year or less, and all were what Richard calls "resilient students, students who have all the odds against them and yet they manage to achieve at a very high level." During extensive individual interviews and a focus group session, Richard asked them to look back at their pre-university experiences and the factors they thought had influenced their university preparation.

Perhaps his most interesting finding was the key role that parents play in the lives of successful underrepresented students. The prevalent thinking has been that low-income parents "are not in a position to promote their children’s academic achievement," Richard says. To the contrary, his study shows that these parents do contribute important personal and social supports, including a strong work ethic, persuading their children that "hard work is going to pay off in the end."

Parents also model hard work, although their jobs are often menial and low-paying. "Some parents made it a point to have their children work with them," Richard says, "so they can get a firsthand look at what their parents do." In addition, parents demonstrate the importance of education, taking English as a Second Language classes and vocational training. While they were developing their own language skills, parents often "used their children as translators, beginning in elementary school," Richard says, "contributing to building their vocabulary, maturity, and bicultural identity." In sum, "the parents’ influence was profound, impacting students in ways existing literature hasn’t shown."

Richard’s study also showed that advanced curricula and outreach programs play an important role in helping students prepare for college and university. In fact, taking college-level classes at a community college or university while still enrolled in high school seemed to improve underrepresented students’ chances of being admitted directly into a major research university like UCLA.

Moreover, Richard found a host of personal characteristics—well beyond bright, gifted, and talented—that the students in his study showed. Besides a willingness to work hard—and a belief that hard work will produce positive results—his students "had very high aspirations for themselves," Richard says. "They could see themselves in college or working as professionals."

In addition, "all the students knew about their history, a rich and long history that took place before their parents immigrated to the United States." Rather than internalizing the often-negative depictions of Mexican Americans in popular media, these students knew from their parents' stories that "they had a history to be proud of." They also "reframe unfavorable conditions into positive motivational factors," Richard says, with an ability "to take something that is supposed to bring them down and use it to bring them up.".

During his exchanges with the students, Richard made it a point to share his own experiences. A native of Los Angeles, Richard was the first in his Mexican American family to graduate from high school and college and to work as a professional. He chose UCLA over UC Berkeley so that he could remain close to his family and community and graduated with honors at the top of his class.

While some might argue that revealing his background could bias results, Richard believes doing so helped him "to establish bonds with the research participants, to increase their comfort level, and to create an ambiance where there is openness in communication." The resulting data, rich and extensive, were incorporated in both group and individual portraits. Participating students "gave their time graciously, and they were very committed to the study," he says, sharing with Richard another key characteristic: an interest in making the way easier for students who follow them.

As a junior and senior at UCLA, Richard became involved in outreach programs as a mentor for underrepresented youth throughout Los Angeles. After graduation, he accepted a job in outreach under the division of UCLA Student Affairs. Today, he is Senior Coordinator of Early Academic Outreach Programs, responsible for academic outreach at several middle schools and high schools throughout Los Angeles. He also organizes community service learning experiences for both high school and undergraduate students. His staff and professional colleagues provide college and career information, as well as counseling and academic development, to underrepresented K–12 students, "sending the message to them that they can go to college and that they belong there."

Richard chose UCLA's Educational Leadership doctoral program over comparable programs because of his commitment to UCLA and local outreach and because the program "ties research and theory with practice," he says. "There's an expectation that what you found will be put into practice." Clearly, Richard has plenty of opportunities to do this, and increasing the rate of college attendance by underrepresented students is at the top of his agenda.

"We need to do more in research and practice to promote the academic achievement and college-going rates of underrepresented students," he says. "I'm really passionate about doing that in research and practice."

Where is He Now?

Dr. Richard Andalon is the Associate Dean and Director with the Graduate School and Office of Undergraduate Programs at USC. The office he leads advises students on academic, extracurricular, and career-related matters; facilitates student mentorship experiences, research preparation, and summer programs; administers student stipends, fellowships/scholarships, and conference travel funding; and engages in on- and off-campus outreach. His office is responsible for managing grant-sponsored student support programs from the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation, which are part of federal TRIO Programs and the national Alliance for Graduate Education & the Professoriate (AGEP), respectively. He is also an instructor of an undergraduate research methods course offered by the USC Department of American Studies & Ethnicity, College of Letters, Arts, & Sciences. Before joining USC in 2008, Dr. Andalon served in various academic and student services administrative and advising roles with the UCLA Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

In the community, Dr. Andalon serves as a college preparation advisor for students and parents of Los Angeles area K-12 public schools, and as a board member of a San Gabriel Valley area educational non-profit that promotes academic achievement and college readiness through a series of programs for K-12 youth and their parents and public schools. His service focuses on underserved, low socioeconomic communities.

Dr. Andalon studies the experiences of students who excel academically and professionally despite social, environmental, and economic disadvantages (a population commonly referred to in the literature as resilient students). He also studies the organizational structures and services of educational equity/outreach programs in higher education institutions and K-12 schools that serve students from first-generation college backgrounds, low-income households, and underrepresented minority populations.

Published in Spring 2005, Graduate Quarterly
(updated February, 2012)