Publication Date

Summer 2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

Advisor

María Ledesma; Liliana Castrellón; Tracy Buenavista

Abstract

Filipina/x/o American college students represent one of the largest Asian ethnic subgroups in the United States, yet their educational experiences remain underexamined within institutional research and higher education scholarship. Aggregated under the broader Asian American category, Filipina/x/o American students are rendered invisible by data practices that obscure the distinct colonial histories, socioeconomic realities, and identity negotiations. This qualitative study examined how Filipina/x/o American students at Pacific State University (PSU) describe their involvement in Filipina/x/o American Student Organizations (FASOs) and how that involvement shapes their sense of belonging, cultural identity development, and academic persistence. Guided by a critical race phenomenological framework integrating Critical Race Theory (CRT), AsianCrit, and phenomenology, the study centered participant voices as the primary source of knowledge. Data were collected through a pre-survey completed by 15 Filipina/x/o American students and semi-structured interviews with six participants across four campus FASOs. The findings revealed FASOs function as student-initiated retention projects, creating culturally engaging campus conditions through student labor rather than institutional design. This study calls on institutions to recognize, resource, and authentically partner with the student-created infrastructures of belonging that sustain their most underserved populations.

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