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Latine and Asian American MillenniGenZ: Who are They and What are They Thinking?

Faye Linda Wachs, Mary Kunmi Yu Danico — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

This special journal issue on Latine and Asian American MillenniGenZ highlights the complex nuanced stories of this generation as they navigate advancing technologies, rethink what it means to have human interaction, and consider ways to live in a world that does not have a direct path moving forward. The issues also bring forth social institutions, issues, and identity politics that can get in the way of our BIPOC MillenniGenZ educational experiences.

Exploring What MilleniGenz Think About Range of Social Issues

Peter A. Hanink — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

It has long been accepted that young adults are more socially and politically liberal than the middle-aged or elderly. It is also accepted that as a generational cohort ages, its views become more conservative. But does this piece of received wisdom apply to MillenigenZ? It is well documented that MillenigenZ are far more liberal on political and social issues than older generations. What is less certain is whether this leftward lean will persist as the MillenigenZ age or whether they will go through the same rightward shift as members of Generation X, the Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation did before them. In this study, we address this question in two ways. First, we examine differences in MillenigenZ’s attitudes on a range of social and political issues between two waves of a survey. Second, we compare the attitudes of the youngest members of the MillenigenZ generational cohort to those of the oldest to see whether there are intra-generational differences. Our findings suggest that MillenigenZ are not getting more conservative as they age and, from the youngest to the oldest, remain remarkably uniform in their left-leaning social and political attitudes. Findings from this study advance our understanding of not only this generation but also how generations change over time.

Trapped in a Chronically Online World: MillenigenZ, and Social Media

Faye Linda Wachs — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Using a mixed methods approach, this paper explores MillenigenZ’s relationship with social media and its potential for creating an activist and productive third space. The sample highlights the views of Latino/a/e, Asian American, and immigrant members of this cohort. Combining content and textual analysis, surveys, and interviews with MillenigenZ, I find that in contrast to stereotypes, they crave in-person interaction and prefer to discuss contentious issues “in the real.” While they distrust official news sources, interpersonal relationships and alternate viewpoints are appreciated and valued. It remains to be seen if online spaces can create impactful third spaces that result in meaningful actions and policies. Many participants wanted to be engaged active members of their community and craved meaningful opportunities, which they found lacking. Mobilizing this group is essential for future elections and activism.

Archiving the Movement: Generating Solidarity Among Black Millennials in Virtual Spaces

Stephanie Jones — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

In this paper, I analyze the impact of the discourse #BlackLivesMatter (#BLM) has on how communities frame policing practices within protests. I find that Millennials created an archive of distinct moments in virtual space through social media as a platform for performing their discourse. I examined YouTube videos of protesting the police after incidents of police brutality in three cases. First, the murder of Oscar Grant in Oakland, California, which was before the #BLM movement emerged. Second was the choking of Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York. Third is the shooting of teenager Michael Brown in St. Louis, Missouri. By expanding the collective identity, #BLM changed the discourse about police brutality from a problem within local communities to a national social issue. The #BLM movement shows that communities no longer have to struggle alone but that they can and must unite against oppressive policing. Further understanding how social media has been used as a social movement tool can help scholars see how activists use virtual spaces to perform a discourse in future movements.

Student-Initiated Research, Consequences, Peer Mentors, and Finding the Hope Inside for MilleniGenZ Students during the COVID-19 Years

Sandra Emerson, Winny Dong, Jeremy Aquino, Hosne Afrin — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) at Cal Poly Pomona explored factors contributing to student enrollment and engagement, especially for MilleniGenZ students. The research was built on the latest evidence that college students who engaged in research along with faculty mentoring and team collaboration were more able to persist in their studies than their peers who did not participate in similar activities. Most important for OUR was testing if participation was equitable by race, gender, and income categories in COVID-19 years (2020-2022) as compared with non-COVID-19 years (2016-2019). The study used quantitative analysis of the public record, qualitative review of student reflections, and open-ended interviews with peer mentors during the COVID-19 years of 2020 through 2022. As a result of our process, this is a convergent mixed methods design, which enabled the researchers to triangulate the findings and develop a deeper understanding of the research question: How well did diverse students navigate their college studies in uncertain circumstances?

Opele Revisited: How Oceanic Blackness Impacts Student Belonging and Success

Ethan Caldwell — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

The Opele Report of 1992 provided a window into the concerns surrounding educational opportunities and quality of education for underrepresented Black students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) (Takara, 1992, p. 4). By providing a comprehensive analysis, the “Opele Report” suggested multiple ways to improve Black student and faculty retention, recruitment, and well-being. Thirty years later, what has changed? How has Black student life and well-being improved, and how supported do they feel? How do they envision their belonging in an oceanic educational space where they are traditionally underrepresented? How might their experiences provide a space to rethink Blackness in oceanic settings? This article revisits the “Opele Report” by providing a window into the contemporary experiences of the 1.8% Black student population on campus by highlighting how they cultivate belonging while navigating their intersectional identities on the University of Hawaʻi at Mānoa campus. I focus on six former and current students affiliated with the Black Student Association as they engage in storytelling surrounding Blackness and belonging on campus and in Hawaiʻi as an expansion of a previous photo voice project and current documentary project. Each student’s response to a series of prompts reveals how Black hypervisibility and invisibility impact their on-campus experiences with belonging while gesturing to how it helps them expand conceptions of Blackness in an oceanic setting. Their dialogue highlights the need to honestly address diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice work on university campuses, including those beyond the continental United States. From experiencing tokenism from colleagues and throughout campus to racism from peers, these students’ experiences highlight the intricacies of finding belonging in the face of anti-Blackness that remains pervasive on campus and statewide.

“We Are The Future”: Career Attitudes of MilleniGenZ College Students

Kelly M. Nguyen — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Millennials make up the largest segment of the workforce today and it is estimated that by 2025, 75% of the global workforce will comprise this emerging generation (Fry, 2018). In this current study, I examine the career attitudes of Latinx and Asian American Millennial and Gen Z college students to understand better how their unique college experiences- shaped by their familial, cultural, and personal backgrounds – can inform how they imagine their post-college trajectory. Specifically, I explore to what extent these sociocultural influences impact MilleniGenZ’s interest and attainment in leadership roles within their future careers. Two sets of surveys were administered. A 184-question survey was administered to college students in Southern California in 2017 (N=936), and in 2020, an updated 211-question survey was administered (N=742). The findings show the importance of providing better career resources (e.g., workshops, mentorship, networking opportunities) for MilleniGenZ during college, which will ease their transition into the workforce and potential leadership roles. The findings of the current study contribute to the existing literature by unpacking how complex sociocultural factors intersect to influence Latinx and Asian American college students’ career attitudes. Based on our findings, institutions, and organizations should incorporate diversity and inclusion considerations into the career planning process to support individuals in overcoming systemic barriers.