Latinos in a College Outreach Program: Application, Selection, and Participation

College outreach programs provide key access along the academic pipeline, yet little is known about how students access or engage with these programs. Data were collected as part of a university-community partnership. Analyses of student applications revealed that most had aspirations for college-based careers. They saw institutions, family members, and school personnel as resources to achieve their goals, and institutions and relationships as obstacles. Program selection reflected students' gender and criteria among school staff about who would benefit the most from the program. Program participation was motivated by both their social and academic goals and whether they saw themselves as a resource.