ENGAGING FILIPINX AMERICANS IN HIGHER EDUCATION TO FOSTER STUDENT SUCCESS

Increasingly, researchers call for closer examinations of Asian Americans to counter the false, yet widely held, assumption that collectively all Asian Americans are academically successful and have similar higher education experiences. Filipinx American college students are one of the fastest growing student populations of Asian Americans in higher education. As their enrollment numbers increase, it is even more imperative to recognize how the needs of Filipinx American students as a disaggregated group, differ from other Asian American students and understand the factors that contribute to Filipinx American postsecondary success. This article focuses directly upon Filipinx American students. It explores the various higher education engagement challenges, provides a theoretical framework to better understand the Filipinx American postsecondary student experience, and offers four important institutional engagement strategies to nurture educational attainment and success.