This qualitative study explored how ethnic identity and self-authorship development have impacted the academic success and engagement of Latina students who have successfully transferred from community college to the university. The qualitative method of social science portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997) was used to collect, analyze, and present the data. Based on in-depth interviews, the researcher composed narrative portraits of twelve participants whose voices provided clear and compelling perspectives of the racialized P 20 educational environments in which they lived, illuminating the need for systemic change in order to create equity in access to postsecondary education. Drawing from the theoretical perspectives of Critical Race Theory (CRT), LatCrit, and community cultural wealth theory, this study offers an understanding of how practitioners can create the conditions that will foster the holistic development of minoritized student populations. Furthermore, the researcher applied Abes and Hernández’s (2016) CRT framework for examining self-authorship and ethnic identity development together. The findings revealed how institutional policies and practices that exist throughout the educational pipeline work to effectively minoritize students of color as well as the specific types of institutional supports that are particularly effective in disrupting such policies and practices.
