Life Trajectories and Higher Education Access for Chilean Indigenous Students: Mapuche Students in STEM and STEM-Related Fields as Participants in Academic and Indigenous Cultures

Various studies have sought to understand factors affecting low university retention rates of indigenous students. However, little is known about students who successfully complete undergraduate programs in STEM fields. This investigation, utilizing the life history approach, analyzed academic trajectories of 11 Mapuche graduates or near-graduates from such programs in south-central Chile. The analysis showed that students who were successful in obtaining degrees had experienced early participation in communities that encouraged an academic culture. These were constituted by their families, teachers, and friends, and participation occurred throughout their lives as they successfully negotiated their identities as indigenous and academically talented students.