Abstract
This qualitative study explores how three first-generation Latina college students from immigrant families in a Child and Adolescent Development (CHAD) program at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in Northern California experience and make sense of discrimination based on skin color. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, the study examines how participants perceive and navigate colorism within their academic and institutional environment. Three themes emerged: (1) Fitting the Mold: Colorism and Belonging, (2) Academic Stress, and (3) Longing for Representation. Guided by Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and the Multi-Contextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments (MMDLE), the analysis connects participants’ narratives to broader systems of power and institutional dynamics. Findings illustrate how colorism shapes students’ sense of belonging, academic stress, and professional identity development, even within HSIs, which are institutions that enroll large numbers of Latine students but do not always interrogate or disrupt racial hierarchies. Participants offered counter-narratives and critiques that call for structural change within CHAD programs and higher education more broadly. Given that CHAD prepares students to work with children and families, these insights have implications for how future professionals understand and respond to racialized dynamics in developmental and educational settings.