304 The Career DevelopmenT QuarTerly DECEMBER 2016 • VOLUME 64 © 2016 by the National Career Development Association. All rights reserved. Received 11/19/14 Revised 03/12/15 Accepted 04/28/15 DOI: 10.1002/cdq.12067 Articles Cultural Trailblazers: Exploring the Career Development of Latina First-Generation College Students Cassandra A. Storlie, S. Jeffery Mostade, and Deborah Duenyas Latinas in the United States have had historically low college graduation rates, are overrepresented in lower paying occupations, and experience culture- and values-based struggles in obtaining career goals. As Latinas increase their presence as a cultural group in higher education and grow in the U.S. workforce, researchers are called to uncover the challenging and complex career development experience of this diverse group of students. This qualitative study used a grounded theory methodology to explore the values and life-role salience associated with the career development of Latina 1st-generation college students at a primarily Caucasian institution. Results included 2 overarching themes with 5 subthemes supporting culturally sensitive career counseling practices while working with this sample. Future research implications examining the efficacy of interventions to help Latina 1st-generation college students succeed in college are provided. Keywords: Latina, career development, first-generation college student Approximately 41% of Latinos/as nationwide, ages 20 years and older, have not obtained a high school diploma (Fry, 2010). Yet, recent statis- tics from the Pew Research Center (2014) have identified that Latino/a enrollment of 18- to 24-year-olds in all colleges, including those enrolled in community colleges and 4-year institutions, now exceed 2 million students in the United States. Despite these promising numbers, only 13% of Latinos/as have attained at least a bachelor’s degree (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). With unstable economic conditions in the United States, a college degree is often deemed a necessity in career development and choice, particularly for marginalized groups of Latino descent (Storlie, Moreno, & Portman, 2014). For Latinas specifically, culture, values, and life roles are primary variables influencing the career decision-making process (Brown, 2002), including the pursuit of a college degree. Lati- nas in the United States and currently in college are frequently the first in their families to pursue a college education (Arredondo, Gallardo- Cooper, Delgado-Romero, & Zapata, 2014). Taken together, Latina first-generation college students may struggle with discerning tradi- tional life roles and values that compete with an individualistic higher Cassandra A. Storlie, Department of Counselor Education and Supervision, Kent State University; S. Jeffery Mostade, Cleveland, Ohio; and Deborah Duenyas, Coun- seling and Student Affairs Department, Kutztown University. Partial funding for this study was provided by a SEED grant through the College of Education, Health and Human Services at Kent State University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Cassandra A. Storlie, Department of Counselor Education and Supervision, Kent State University, PO Box 5190, 325 White Hall, Kent, OH 44242 (e-mail: cstorlie@kent.edu).