It’s not a Phase!: Overcoming Stigmas and Parental Judgment

By Ariana Dulos, Yasmin Flores, & Sharon Juarez Rodriguez

Abstract

Despite parental judgment and social stigmas, community college students focus on what they think is best for them and overcome the stereotypes with motivation and self-empowerment. Community college students are seen as lazy, unmotivated, low lives, and so much more. Using a composite of community college student written essays and research papers, we find students who choose community college and give it the purpose it is meant to serve, a real postsecondary education, have a real chance of success. Within this research paper comes reality, challenges, and a visual representation of what parental judgment may look like. This example consisted of a mother and her daughter Veronica – both composites – talking about community college and its stereotypes. Then it transitions to Veronica and her counselor discussing Veronica’s future and her self-empowerment. This exemplifies that as community college students grow and gain knowledge, they don’t let others' opinions or thoughts affect the way they learn or live their lives overall.

Introduction

Stigmas surrounding community colleges obstruct the true purpose and potential the institution of secondary education provides. Many students focus on the judgment of others to determine what they consider success, especially the judgment of their parents. However, even though parental judgment may be in the picture, students continue to attend community college as a first option based on their own empowerment, maturity, and motivation, consequently, leading them to battle stereotypes such as being seen as clueless, poor, and unmotivated, etc.

Literature Review

Majoritarian narratives, as Delgado (1989) defines them are, “[t]he stories or narratives told by the ingroup [to] remind it of its identity in relation to outgroups, and provide it with a form of shared reality in which its own superior position is seen as natural” (p. 2412). Community college students are stereotypically seen as lazy or slackers, unprepared for college, “remedial,” broke or overall poor, unmotivated and uncommitted, having low self-esteem, and performed poorly in high school. As for being constantly judged by parents, parents dictate how their kids feel about education; after all, parents are the blueprint for a child’s outlook, yet they let  these stereotypes get in the way. However, to every position, there is an opposition. Counterstory, as Delgado (1989) mentions, are, “[t]he stories of outgroups [that] aim to subvert that ingroup reality” (p. 2413). Community college students are the counterstory to other postsecondary education institutions because they have the motivation, commitment, dedication, and self-empowerment to put themselves first and follow their own path. Students who followed their own path, did what was best for them and not for anyone else.

Beach and Norton Grubb (2011) provide a look into the history of community colleges and the beliefs that came along with them in the beginning; additionally, it includes how the demographic has changed overtime. Community colleges were created from normal schools, schools meant to train students to be elementary school teachers, which started branching out into different fields. Many students with economic disadvantages had chosen normal schools because they were “more accessible than college because of geographical proximity, lower cost, and easier admission policies” (p. 4). Furthermore, they cite David F. Labaree, a historian of education, who “called normal schools the first ‘people’s college’ because these institutions offered an avenue into higher education for many Americans who might not otherwise have been able to go to college” (p. 4). This represents how community colleges were originally meant to be a place of accessibility. Additionally, they note “This institution would further prepare students for college by offering a curriculum compatible to the first two undergraduate years of study in a university and leading to the newly established junior certificate, the precursor to the associate’s degree” (pp. 5-6). This renders community college education as equal to the two undergraduate years of university education instead of below it as it is perceived today.

Martin et al. (2014) examined common characteristics within community college students who end up graduating. They focused on whether or not they are committed and dedicated to their education, which is exhibited through the text in the following:

Although community colleges' higher percentages of low income, academically underprepared, non-traditional, and minority students are often cited as the reason for low graduation rates, this study sought to examine common characteristics of community college students who do graduate”. Community college students are being examined through their characteristics which depend on which of these students may or may not graduate.

They represent how students in community college do have clear goals, motivation, and self-empowerment, and they are driven to succeed. More specifically, Martin et al. studied how well the students handled their educational well-being and whether or not they have self-empowerment, motivation to do their work, and goals for their future. These characteristics were then put to the test depending on whether or not they graduate. Unsurprisingly, they found that students tend to succeed if they put their mind and dedication into their schooling but don’t graduate if they lack motivation, self-empowerment, dedication, and have no clear goals for themselves. Hence, we get the whole stereotypical gossip about community college students.

Brower et al. (2021) describe students’ experiences with stigma in community college and explains background stories about stigma with intersectional community college students. They highlight the fact that:

Although higher education can be a path out of poverty for homeless community college students, these students face significant barriers to success. Compared with non–homeless students, homeless students are more likely to be students of color and first-generation college students and are more likely to attend community colleges than 4-year institutions.

 The impact of community college students who are considered “homeless” or don't have much money to afford a university can be seen in community colleges. It proves that any student can succeed or have a purpose in a community college whether they’re experiencing discrimination and stigmatization.

Methodology

This research points to the basis of parental judgment/stigmas towards community college students; however, students view community college as an opportunity to grow. We roughly explain how students constantly deal withpressure from parents,  judgment towards students in community college, gaining motivation at stigmas and parental judgment, the expectations every parent wants for them, being/living closer with your family and lastly, community college students navigating happiness with having a choice. Our sources discuss the outgroups’ perspective on community college and why students (outgroups) choose community college rather than a university. Community college students depend on their characteristics such as being goal-oriented, motivated, and so much more to prove parents incorrect in their judgment. So, in this case, we are going to focus more on data collection and analysis. More specifically, we will use what Wallace (2023) calls critical storytelling, and we will look at community college students as members of an outgroup. Furthermore, according to Wallace, “this is not to say that members of the ingroup… cannot engage in critical storytelling; it simply means the point of entry is different, as members of the ingroup are responsible for identifying and interrogating their… privilege and power and how these have been wielded to benefit ourselves and marginalize those outgroups'' (p. 55).  This is a perfect definition of critical storytelling for community college students and how ingroups (parents) use their “privilege and power” to push their children to attend a university for a better future, instead of community college, which is stereotypically named for “failures” and “non-succeeding schools.” On the other hand, community college students have higher expectations and can save so much money rather than spending millions at a university. Although parents judge us for our characteristics or expectations, we found that community college individuals have higher motivation as a consequence of parental stigmatization. Whether individuals want to live close with relatives, find their own interests, or are simply underprepared, community college students who deal with parental judgment have more guidance.

Counterstory

The counterstory to the stigmas surrounding community college students highlight the roles of parental judgment and overall judgment from people. To go further into depth, most community college students' parent(s) or guardian(s) play a role in the decision-making process of education. Overall, what others tend to think and say about community colleges may affect the student’s choices within their education. A really good example will be shared in the following composite counterstory, which used primary data from twelve writing samples collected at College of San Mateo, existing scholrship, and our own experiences (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002).

Stock Story Setting: Veronica is starting her fall semester of her senior year in high school and her mother is not very content with her future plans.

Mother: My friend Martha’s daughter just applied to UC Davis for Civil Engineering. She is very proud of her!

Veronica: Wow that’s great, good for her.

Mother: And you mija? What schools have you applied for?

Veronica: None… I’m just not sure what I want to be yet.

Mother: Well, there’s plenty of careers you can choose. You can be a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer.

Veronica: But I don’t want to be any of those things.

Mother: I thought you didn’t know what you wanted to be. Are you just putting it off?

Veronica: I don’t, but it certainly isn't any of those. Besides, I don’t want to spend so much money on a university and taking random classes to figure it out.

Mother: You’re not thinking about going to community college are you?

Veronica: I mean, it could save me money while I decide, and I can change my major more freely. It also keeps me closer to home! Wouldn’t you like that?

Mother: Yeah, but all of my friends' children are moving away; what will I have to say for you?

Veronica: Well, I don’t think that should really matter, mom. I think what’s more important is that I’m still getting the education I need, I’m close to home, I still have time to figure out what I want to do or be, and we can save so much more at a community college rather than a university.

Mother: But community colleges don’t challenge their students as much as universities do with their students. Community colleges are for kids who don’t care about their education. So you mean to tell me you’re just going to throw away your education? After everything I provided for you?

Veronica: That’s not true, mom. So many people have started at community colleges then transferred to universities and are living their best lives. And I’m so incredibly thankful for everything you have done for me. I’m not throwing my education away; I’m thinking about what’s best for me and my future.

Veronica’s mom is stuck on the preconception that community colleges are not truly a place for higher learning but instead where failures end up. By allowing majoritarian narratives to dictate how she felt about community colleges, she ended up judging her daughter. While she saw Veronica wanting to go to community college as unpreparedness and overall laziness, Veronica is actually choosing community college to make sure she is better prepared for taking college level classes, therefore ending up more prepared in the long run. She also looks out for the financial side of education. Knowing that it would save her and her mom a ton of money, community college was where she can save a lot more and continue to figure out what she wants to do or major in. This way, she is figuring out what is the best alternative and/or path is best for her and her only. No matter how much parents constantly judge their kids about college, or in this case community college, the most important part is that what you plan on doing next is much more beneficial for you and no one else.

Setting: Veronica talks to her counselor during her senior year in high school. She talks to them on her plan after high school, where she plans to go and what she plans to do.

Counselor: Hi Veronica, how are you doing today?

Veronica: I’m doing okay, how about you?

Counselor: I’m good thank you for asking! Anyways, how are you doing this semester? Are there any struggles you are going through right now?

Veronica: I’m not really sure what I want to do after high school so I was thinking community college would be a good fit for me. Maybe explore a couple degrees so I can get a better sense of what I want.

Counselor: No yeah, that is a very good idea. A lot of students choose to go to community college when they still feel the need for time to figure out what they truly want to pursue.

Veronica: My mom says community college isn't as challenging as universities are. That I’m basically better off at a university. Obviously, I want to do what’s best for me. I just also don’t want to disappoint my mom.

Counselor: I don’t think you are necessarily disappointing your mom. I think what you need to do is do what you think is best for you. The plans and decisions you make now for yourself will only benefit you and your future for the better.

Veronica: Yeah I mean I know for a fact that I could save so much more at a community college, still get the same educational opportunities as a university student, and still have time to think about what I want to pursue while finishing up my general education.

Counselor: The benefits of community colleges are that there’s smaller classes; therefore, it's easier to get into the classes you would want. Obviously, financially, you’d be spending less and there are math and writing centers to help you. There are so many things community colleges have to offer.

Veronica: That’s why I believe going to community college is the best option and plan for me, but my mom just doesn’t really see that.

Counselor: I have to say though, you have a really strong mindset for a community college. Most students think community colleges are for those who don’t really care or are just clueless about themselves in general.

Veronica: I’ve heard of the stereotypes community college students have to battle, but honestly, I don’t really care what other people think or say about community college. At the end of the day, I want to do what’s best for me and achieve my goals.

Veronica spoke to her counselor talking about how she doesn’t really know what she wants to pursue at the moment and how her mom sees community colleges specifically for those who don’t have much educational strength, such as commitment, dedication, motivation, and self-empowerment. Her counselor tells her that most students picture community colleges for those who are completely clueless of what they want to do, unmotivated, etc., basically all the normal stereotypes community college students have to battle. Veronica then goes into depth that she doesn’t care what other people have to say or think about community college students. That kind of mindset is what can lead a student to achieve their goals. At the end of day, as Veronica mentions, as long as you set a goal for yourself and do what you think is best for you and you only, that’s all that truly matters.

Discussion

Because community college students tend to live at home and stay close to their communities, community college students tend to experience the most judgment from people surrounding them. One of the students from our sample described a situation they experienced while attending their brother’s soccer game:

I also in a way felt like I was letting my parents down in some type of way because it seemed as if the other parents were trying to compare the achievement of their daughter getting into a big name school to whatever my situation was.

Parents of community college students tend to allow others' opinions on their child's decision to influence them. It is almost as if the achievement of their child is their own, putting a lot of pressure on the student to show off and stand out, which is in line with the social reproduction theory: “According to social reproduction theory, ‘schools socialize students to occupy roughly the same position in the class structure as that of their parents’” (MacLeod, 1995, p. 13). In other words, students who are impoverished are being raised to be impoverished and stay within the same social status.

Students in community colleges are facing external judgments put upon them by people who are not in the community college. Because of lack of experience with community colleges, many students in both public and private universities and colleges see themselves as superior to community college students, which is concerning considering “community colleges enroll more students of color, economically disadvantaged students, undocumented students, and academically underprepared students than 4-year institutions'' (Abrego, 2011; Cohen et al., 2014). Parents tend to propagate this notion of inferiority and influence their children to feel the same about community colleges. However, it has been found that “students of low socioeconomic status continue to face gaps in college going rates and persistence rates compared with students of higher socioeconomic status” (Bowen et al., 2006). This may be a result of “[t]he best students [getting] more resources, and these students are often [being] the ones with the highest income and socioeconomic status” (Pema, 2006). Underserved students tend to gravitate toward community colleges because of a lack of access to resources to help them achieve the standard for four-year institutions, not necessarily because of a lack of intelligence.

However, community colleges are not meant to be inferior to universities and other colleges but instead an institution for students looking for routes that stray from traditional education. As Beach and Norton Grubb (2011) write, “The junior college, like the normal school, was spawned by educational reformers who wanted to make the American educational system more rational, efficient, and accommodating to the growing number of high school graduates who would be looking for a postsecondary education” (pp. 4-5). In other words, community colleges were meant to be an extension of the postsecondary education system instead of the last option.

Just because a student is in community college does not mean they will be unsuccessful. Community college students depend on their characteristics such as being goal-oriented, motivated, and so much more to prove parents incorrect in their judgment. As Martin et al. (2014) note, “Successful graduates have (a) clear goals, (b) strong motivation, (c) the ability to manage external demands, and (d) self-empowerment.” Additionally, community college students need to fight the stigmas from within first. Brower et al. (2021) write, “Students and campus personnel alike argued that changed self-perceptions were crucial to students’ ability to persist and succeed in community college.” The effort and desire to be successful and prove stigmas wrong has to come from within. If you don’t believe in yourself why should others!

Conclusion

 In conclusion, this information has significance because community college students are being brought down with these stereotypes and parental judgment. They are being seen as something they’re truly not. Furthermore, they are also being told something that is positively not true. As parents put so much pressure on their kids, from judging their choices of majors to arguing that community colleges are for low lives and quitters or that you can’t succeed in life as much as you can in a university, students don’t allow these comments and thoughts to get in the way of what they think is right for them. Hearing these stereotypes but seeing the complete opposite is a twist in its own. They see that students can save so much more money in community college rather than a university, that they can complete their general education the same way they would at a university, that completing their courses in their choice of major, and that they still have enough time to fully understand what they truly want to pursue for their future, and this is all that mattered to these students. The key is to not be blinded by your own future, not your parents, grandparents, friends, and family. There is so much you can achieve both in community college and universities. It just all matters to how the student handles their educational career. Therefore, students have self-empowerment, motivation, commitment, and dedication are what makes a student reach and succeed within their goals.

Reference List

Abrego L. J. (2011). Legal consciousness of undocumented Latinos: Fear and stigma as barriers to claims-making for first-and 1.5-generation immigrants. Law & Society Review, 45(2), 337–370. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5893.2011.00435.x

Beach, J. M. & Norton Grubb, W. (2011). Gateway to Opportunity?: A History of the Community College in the United States. Stylus Publishing, LLC. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/smccd-ebooks/detail.action?docID=911865.

Bowen, W. G., Kurzweil, M. A., Tobin, E. M., & Pichler, S. C. (2006). Equity and excellence in American higher education. University of Virginia Press.

Brower, R. L., Bertrand Jones, T., & Hu, S. (2021). Overcoming the “Trash Talk in Your Head”: Extending an Ethic of Care to Students Experiencing Intersectional Stigma in Community College. AERA Open, 7. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211006381

Delgado, R. (1989). Storytelling for oppositionists and others: A plea for narrative. Michigan Law Review, 87(8), 2411-2441.

Martin, K., Galentino, R., & Townsend, L. (2014). Community College Student Success: The Role of Motivation and Self-Empowerment. Community College Review, 42(3), 221-241. https://ezproxy.collegeofsanmateo.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/community-college-student-success-role-motivation/docview/1543467007/se-2

Pema, L. W. (2006). Understanding the relationship between information about college prices and financial aid and students' college-related behaviors. American Behavioral Scientist, 49, 1620-1635.

Solórzano, D.G. & Yosso, T.J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23-44.

Wallace, J. (2023). The people’s stories: Critical storytelling for social justice. Cognella.