This study was designed to center the voices of four Latina educators who are now in a professional space to bring light to their lived experiences, the challenges they face, and the feelings of being an impostor in the spaces they occupy despite their many accomplishments. In this study, I used a collective storytelling approach to illuminate the…

The benefits of a college degree are undeniable, particularly in a global economy and a very competitive workforce. Although nontraditional college students make up more than 70% of students attending college today, only 38% of nontraditional students earn a degree, while more than 60% of traditional students graduate with a degree (NCES, 2012);…

Oftentimes those within a particular minoritized group (e.g., refugees) are assumed to have had the same language and literacy experiences or to hold the same language- and literacy-related values and beliefs. This fails to consider the variation that exists both across and within these groups. Children from refugee backgrounds attend elementary…

In a time where diversity, equity and inclusion are huge buzz words in society, immigrants of African descent (IAD) in American higher education institutions (of all places) seem to still struggle with how they are identified. Black people and Black culture are not a monolith. Black people of foreign origin do not necessarily identify the same or…

The purpose of this study was to explore the conceptual strength and consistency of the term 'relational learning' in describing the principles, practices and purposes of the Classical Confucian learning paradigm as put forth by Confucius in the Analects ("Lunyu"). With a critical synthesis of Classical Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, as well…

Reentry Shock had been studied through psychological symptoms and inter-relationship problems. Previous research also focused on quantitative data of post-experience questionnaires. This dissertation examines how reentry support programs help students during the reentry process and how participants integrate the study abroad experience into their…

The perception that support is available is central to a person's well being. Nonetheless, naturalistic studies and experimental manipulations of support visibility have uncovered that receiving specific acts of support can entail an emotional cost and that a supportive act is most effective when it is accomplished outside of the recipient's…