Creating Space for Latina Scholars in Higher Education

While Bianca Neal was earning her doctorate in Leadership and Higher Education at St. Edward’s, she participated in a course: Leadership in the 21st Century: Current Trends, Emerging Possibilities. She learned that her singular experience as an isolated Latina in higher education was tied to a much broader issue. As documented by the National Center for Education Statistics, only 3% of post-secondary educators are Latina. 

When I completed my first week of college, I noticed something that’s stuck with me: While many of my fellow classmates were Latino like me, very few of my professors looked like me. Very few of the journalists I learned about in classes were Brown. 

Fortunately, student editors at the newspaper became my role models. They gave me hope that my dreams weren’t silly. I was witnessing history as they made strides in the industry as proud Brown women. But not every student lucks into meeting leaders in their field who have paved a way for people like them.

“Academic literature often positions Latinas in higher education from a deficit perspective,” Neal said, “and I desired to contribute to changing the narrative.”

With roots in Los Angeles, Neal earned her B.A. in Cinema Television from the University of Southern California, and moved to Texas to earn her master’s in Radio, TV and Film from the University of Texas at Austin. Before enrolling at St. Edward’s, Neal enrolled in UT Austin’s IC2 Institute Fast Forward Acceleration Program for entrepreneurial and small business operations, becoming a positive force in Texas as the co-founder of SaulPaul Productions. 

Through SaulPaul Productions, Neal seeks to empower young people of color by providing them with the tools they need to succeed in the path they choose. Shortly before graduating from St. Edward’s, Neal transitioned to Executive Director of the SaulPaul Foundation, applying her new skills to focus on community impact—the main vision behind the SaulPaul Foundation. The foundation helped launch a seven-year plan working toward unity across Austin, called Dream Together 2030, in partnership with community leaders like the Central Food Bank, NAACP, Huston-Tillotson University, RBI Austin and many more. The SaulPaul Foundation’s efforts to uplift young people through music and social good has been highlighted and celebrated across Austin, most recently on PBS NewsHour. 

While at St. Edward’s, Neal researched and presented on Latinas in the classroom as professors, a topic aligned with her vision to empower young Black and Brown students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics,  3% of full-time faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions are Hispanic women.

After watching her presentation, Neal's classmate, Lance Bennett, Ed.D., connected her with Dr. Mary Beth Gassman, the executive director of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity & Justice and the executive director of the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions. Neal worked with Dr. Gassman to create LEADD (Latinas Excelling at Doctoral Degrees) at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Their mission is to “equip and empower undergraduate students to strengthen their confidence, validate their research interests, create community, and share resources to combat cultural and academic isolation of Latinas and women of color, prior to attending graduate school.”

LEADD is in their third year, with two scholar classes. From universities in Hawaii to New York, Latina scholars and mentors meet monthly for virtual workshops on navigating academia, addressing cultural and academic isolation, and promoting diversity in the professoriate as they prepare for their masters and doctoral programs. Both the scholars and mentors of LEADD stem from a myriad of fields, each excelling in their own path. 

“As a changemaker, it was a timely opportunity to shine the light on an issue and illuminate pathways for Latinas into the professoriate by playing a part in the solution for the next generation,” Neal said.

Neal rallied up seven trailblazers in their respective disciplines to show these young scholars that there are leaders out there who understand what it’s like to feel alienated, to break down barriers and create their own history. By providing rising scholars with access to these resources, they are setting the foundation for a new powerful force of women in higher education. 

By Nina Martinez