She doesn’t even act Mexican: smartness trespassing in the new south

Historically, Latin@s have experienced deficit thinking as it relates to their perceived academic abilities. In North Carolina’s emerging Latin@ population, the first waves of K-12 students are writing a new chapter in the state’s history. Yet, there is a dearth of research that focuses on the identities of academically successful Latin@ students in the state. This qualitative study examines the politics and discrimination associated with claiming a ‘smart identity’ in the new south by documenting the experiences of a high-achieving Latina high school student. We introduce and use the term, ‘smartness trespassing,’ to capture this tension.