In rural areas, a community college is often more than a campus. It can be the closest pathway to higher education, a major local employer, and one of the few institutions people turn to when the community is under strain (Bowlin & Cutler White, 2024). In these settings, who leads matters. When a Latina serves as president, her leadership can carry meaning beyond administration, particularly in California, where the state’s 116 community colleges serve over 2 million students, many from historically underserved and first-generation backgrounds (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2024). Yet rural institutions operate under circumstances distinct from urban colleges, often with fewer resources and limited access to higher education opportunities, earning many the designation of “educational deserts” where community colleges serve as the primary, and sometimes only, pathway to higher education (Rush-Marlowe, 2021; Hillman & Weichman, 2016).

Rural colleges may offer significantly fewer points of representation. By promoting community-centered definitions of success, Latina presidents in rural community colleges go beyond institutional management. Their presence is crucial to increasing access, representation, and educational relevance in historically underprivileged areas. This perspective is shaped by the work of the CCHALES Research Collective, a group of first-generation Scholars of Color, many of whom identify as Latines and study Leaders of Color in community colleges.

One of the group’s projects examines Latina community college presidents and the racialized and gendered realities shaping their leadership (Estrada et al, 2024). Drawing from four pláticas with two rural Latina community college presidents, this article explores what Latina leadership makes possible for Latine students and their communities. Using the pseudonyms Dra. Alyssa Rodriguez and Dra. Luisa Arroyo, we highlight what their stories reveal about leading rural institutions. 

When Rurality Shapes Leadership

For rural Latina presidents, leadership unfolds under conditions distinct from those in urban colleges, especially when those colleges are small and in conservative areas. When you’re a diverse leader making decisions to advance student equity, the presidency becomes especially hyper-visible. Decisions can travel quickly, community expectations are made known, and the line between campus and the local community is blurred. Both Latina presidents noted how their roles were uniquely shaped by rurality. In addition to the challenges that come with serving a rural community college, such as high levels of poverty, economic inequality, and scarce college resources (Hardy & Katsinas, 2007), Latina presidents also deal with deeply conservative neighborhoods.

The experiences of Dra. Luisa Arroyo emphasize how rural leadership can also be shaped by a deep connection to place. Because she was “born and raised” in the community she led and saw it as “this community that has contributed so much to me,” her presidency carried a different level of weight.

Addressing Rural Needs

Rural community colleges operate within contexts where higher education is often perceived as inaccessible or irrelevant, as reflected in the belief that college is for “others.” (Rush-Marlowe, 2021). At the same time, these institutions serve as critical anchors in their communities, with many functioning as the largest employers and central providers of essential services (Rush-Marlowe, 2021). In these settings, Latina presidents go beyond overseeing their institutions. They are also called on to respond to the broader realities of their students' lives, and that responsibility carries more weight in rural communities where resources may already be scarce. 

Dra. Arroyo’s leadership initiative makes this especially visible. At her institution, over 200 students self-identified as housing insecure, and approximately 150 of those students were under the age of 25. To address this need, Dra. Arroyo partnered with the local community, including donors, to create student housing communities. In rural communities, leadership extends beyond the college.

For Dra. Rodriguez, addressing rural needs can also take the form of decision-making that treats community conditions as central to college leadership. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, she explained that she had begun looking closely at how the crisis was affecting the population surrounding her campus. She recognized that her community was rural and Hispanic”, emphasizing that “it's not the same for rural communities as it is for urban communities.”

Redefining Success Close to Home 

When a Latina leads a rural community college, her presence can do more than diversify an institution; it can widen what students and the community imagine is possible. Research on rural presidencies suggests that rural leaders must understand and embrace local culture, as the college often serves as both an educational and cultural center for the broader community (Leist, 2007). Dra. Rodriguez drew on her experiences as an immigrant, former English as a Second Language student, and community college student to advocate for resources that reflected students’ needs. In many ways, her lived experiences became a source of strength, shaping the priorities she held for the community and the way she showed up as president. Dra. Arroyo showed what that kind of visibility can make possible for Latine rural students. One of the clearest examples came in a note from a student who wrote, “I could not have met a more inspiring role model. I am the little girl watching and wanting to be like you.” When representation is limited in already scarce conditions, seeing a Latina president rooted in student equity and community care can show students what is possible. 

Conclusion

Latina community college presidents face leadership challenges in settings that are often underfunded and overlooked in broader educational policy and funding conversations. As seen in the previous examples, their decisions are sometimes questioned and stigmatized. However, those same decisions can heighten their presence and become especially meaningful in rural settings, where success is often defined in relation to community rather than departure, and where representation may be limited. Their representation, relationships with the community, and  responses to local need are essential for Latine students to know they do not have to leave to feel successful (EdSource Commentaries, 2025). In doing so, they reshape narratives of belonging, access, and possibility in places where higher education has often felt out of reach.

References

Bowlin, W., & Cutler White, C. (2024). Should I stay or should I go? Examining persistence factors among rural first-year community college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 48(2), 69-87.

California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (2024) Key Facts. http://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Key-Facts

EdSource Commentaries. “Rural Students Shouldn’t Have to Leave Home to Succeed.” EdSource, 4 Nov. 2025, edsource.org/2025/rural-california-student-success/744167.

Estrada, C., Felix, E. R., Vedar, E. N. R., & Perez, E. J. (2024). Latina community college presidents: Drawing from cultural intuition to disrupt leadership norms in higher education. Education Sciences, 15(1), 35.

Hardy, D.E. and Katsinas, S.G. (2007), Classifying community colleges: How rural community colleges fit. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2007: 5-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.265

Hillman, Nicholas, and Taylor Weichman. Education Deserts: The Continued Significance of “Place” ..., www.acenet.edu/Documents/Education-Deserts-The-Continued-Significance-of-Place-in-the-Twenty-First-Century.pdf.

Leist, J. (2007). External culture: Its impact on rural community college presidents. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 31(4), 305-325.

Rush-Marlowe, R. (2021, February 1). Strengthening Rural Community Colleges: Innovations and Opportunities. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED616954

Authors Bios

Citlalli Franco is a first-generation college graduate and Latina from Imperial Valley, CA, with degrees from UC Irvine and SDSU. As an Event Assistant at CSU Fullerton and a CCHALES researcher, she supports student transitions, accessibility, retention, and equity in higher education.

Dr. Cynthia Estrada is an Assistant Professor at CSU Channel Islands, and a first-generation Latina scholar affiliated with CCHALES. Her research examines racial equity, race-conscious college access programs, and the experiences of Students and Leaders of Color across higher education.