Latinx students often experience exclusion, alienation, microaggressions, self-doubt, hostility and feelings of not being supported in institutions of higher education. Yet, sense of belonging can also play a crucial role in their experiences. For this study, I used a qualitative approach and applied Critical Race Theory and LatCrit epistemology with a grounded theory methodology as a foundation to gather, code, and analyze the data. I drew on data obtained through thirteen open-ended interviews, thirteen corresponding demographic questionnaires from the Latinx undergraduate students, and participant observation. Findings suggest that microclimates are significant in engaging students' sense of belonging. Yet, they do not eliminate the exclusion, invalidation, and self-doubt that is perpetuated throughout the campus. Furthermore, findings also illustrate that microclimates can also perpetuate these for certain students based on their positionalities. Understanding the complexities of identity, belonging, and microclimates is critical to understanding the experiences of undergraduate Latinx students in institutions of higher education.
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