of divergent thinking and creative self-concept. Participants included 13 children (aged 5–9) and nine parents. Main parent themes encompassed cognitive activation and curiosity, identity and voice, sense of belonging, and parental empowerment. Quantitative data showed a wide range of divergent thinking scores and a strong creative self-concept. Complementing findings suggest that when Paraguayan gifted children are placed in a context of exploration and collaboration, their creativity and well-being flourish. The IBL program offers a model for meaningful enrichment in under-resourced contexts.

28:T486,

Latine scholars navigating graduate school often face unique challenges shaped by cultural differences, institutional barriers, and a hidden curriculum. For first-generation Latine graduate students, relying on complex formal and informal support networks is necessary to cross the borders of academia. Narrative accounts of how Latine students do so are missing from prior research. We leverage Gloria Anzaldúa's concept of la frontera as a generative lens to understand how we, Latine students, navigate institutions of higher education. We explored how Latine students navigate institutional and personal borders, through culturally grounded strategies and mentorship. In this praxis article, we used plática, a dialogue-based conversation rooted in Latine cultural traditions, to discuss identity, community, and academic survival. Our findings highlight the invisible struggles gifted Latine students face and underscore the need for academic spaces to recognize and support their multidimensional experiences. Incorporating Latine knowledge systems into academic institutions can help support student success.

29:T462,

Latino students face long-standing inequities in gifted education, from underidentification to exclusionary classroom environments. In addition, the voices of their families, who often shoulder the burden of advocacy, remain largely unheard. Through a testimonio centered on a Latina mother's experience navigating New York City's gifted and talented program, this praxis article illustrates how structural inequities shape access and retention. The first author, a Nuyorican practitioner and friend of the parent, reflects on her positionality as both insider and outsider—culturally connected yet professionally adjacent—to interrogate how systems demand resilience from families they routinely exclude. The article highlights how a lack of information interferes with parents’ ability to advocate for their children, while racial microaggressions in the classroom undermine students’ sense of belonging. Recommendations include improving transparency on the part of local educational agencies (LEAs), establishing alignment between schools and LEAs, and ongoing professional development.

2a:T42a,

This study presents a collective of auto-testimonios authored by multilingual, multicultural, and multiply marginalized (M4) individuals who self-identify or were identified as gifted, twice/thrice-exceptional, and/or Spanish-first-language speakers. Framed by Gifted Critical Race Theory, Latino/a/x/é Critical Race Theory, and Anzaldúa’s Borderlands, the inquiry centers the voices of M⁴ individuals navigating gifted education through systemic exclusion, cultural mismatch, and linguistic resistance. Co-authors engage in collaborative truth-making, rejecting traditional researcher/participant binaries. Translanguaging is intentionally embraced, affirming Spanish as an equal academic language. Auto-testimonios serve as both data and praxis, illuminating the emotional labor of navigating elite educational spaces and the resilience required to persist. Findings urge reimagining gifted education through justice-centered, culturally sustaining frameworks and call for shifts in policy, practice, and research to better serve M4 learners.

2b:T4d2,

This praxis article investigated how podcasting can enhance engagement, motivation, and meaningful experien