Aspirations of Higher Education: Young Afro-Colombians’ Narratives

For decades, studies in Colombia had shown that young people from ethnic minorities and lower socioeconomic backgrounds have the worst results in the Saber test, due to the quality of education they receive in their local schools. This reality puts them in disadvantage when accessing high quality education at the university level. However, despite these inequalities in the education system, some manage to access higher education in cities as Bogota and Medellin, as a way to achieve their aspirations for a “better life”. This research analyzed the educational system regarding its exclusionary structures through the lens of the narratives and stories of five young Afro-Colombians from Chocó between 18 and 23 years old, who manage to leave Chocó. These students’ aspirations respond to habituated aspiration constructed collectively at the local level, driven by the awareness build in the social imaginary of the necessity to find ways to social mobility through education.