Table 4.

Sociocultural influences on educational paths

Theme	Exemplar quotesa
Role of cultural background	[My mother] said “If I had the opportunities you had, I would take them. So don’t waste them because you have them.” (Female, Latina, FG, 3)
	I really feel like it wouldn’t be just an achievement for me but my parents would be really proud. They have put in so much effort for me. I have the resources they didn’t have growing up in order for me to succeed. So that definitely motivates me to get a degree. (Male, Latino, FG, 7)
	I have the chance to make a better future for myself and if I don’t do it, it would be like we did all this for nothing because they struggled a lot. Both my parents were, they were born in Mexico, and actually my grandpa was the first one to come over here. (Male, Latino, FG, 3)
	For the females, it’s not “Get an education to better yourself, but marry someone that’s rich.” For the guys, they put all the support on the males to get them an education and the females have to use whatever they had. (Female, Latina, FG, 6)
Broader prosocial goals	I kind of have the same goal in giving back to the community and helping out others. I feel like, at least a dentist gives people a lot more confidence if they fix someone’s teeth. It is just satisfaction they get seeing that patients smile when they walk out of the office. I think that is really satisfying as a career and it will motivate me to wake up every day, to go to work and help others. (Male, Asian, FG, 5)
	I think it’s the whole reason [connection between career and giving back]. You put a lot of effort into going in to class and finishing your homework and reading the chapter and paying attention in class because you want to give back to society. (Female, white, FG, 9)
	Well the career I am pursuing is education, so I know going into this … it’s not about the money as much with your degree. I want to help others like others helped me. (Male, Asian, CG, 5)
	I think it is important. It all goes back to the community. We are a society so therefore there is a community, it’s not just about yourself. It’s about yourself and those around you. Essentially you are involved. (Male, Latino, FG, 10)
Family-specific prosocial goals	It [science education] will help because the great income will help my dad stop working so much. He works like three jobs right now. Getting a civil engineering degree will help my family mostly. (Female, Latina, FG, 3)
	My family are immigrants. And same as Ana in the sense that I am the only kid who wanted to go to a four year out of my family … I want to do good because I don’t, in a way I appreciate everything my parents did for me, but I don’t want to live like that. I want to, how Juan said, support them. (Male, Latino, FG, 10)
	Seeing as, are most of us Asian? Yeah? I think there’s this whole concept from very traditional Asian families, you’re going to try and hopefully go into a job that will give you the financial stability for when you have a family or your future life. I feel that was instilled in me at a very young age. (Male, Asian, CG, 5)
	I think being financially stable for me because all my life I’ve been really poor. Being here and fighting to go to the top, to get a good job, and to have a better life for my kids. (Female, Latina, FG, 6)

^aNumbers in parentheses refer to the focus group number (1–11).