The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how teachers who remained in the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic describe what it was about their self-perceived leadership qualities that influenced their decision to remain. Although literature regarding teacher retention exist, teacher description about their…

Childhood trauma has a pronounced effect on both children who have experienced trauma as well as adults who were exposed to trauma as children (Felitti et al., 1998). This sobering reality is even more pronounced for more vulnerable communities (HHS, 2018), such as people of color, women, individuals who identify as LBGTQ+, and individuals of…

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused unexpected and unprecedented disruptions worldwide, inflicting inconvenience in daily life, heightened health risk, and psychological distress. University students, especially international students, faced unique challenges and stressors related to education, financial situation, safety, mental…

International students represent a large portion of student populations in higher education in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic had a large impact on international students. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of international students who were stranded in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive…

This case study investigated the collective resilience of school stakeholders--comprising administrators, teachers, and parents--during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Central to this study was investigating how these stakeholders demonstrated resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic. This study sought to understand…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine coping strategies for teachers in elementary schools who taught during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers experienced mental, physical, and spiritual challenges throughout the pandemic, and this study shared how teachers coped. Through this study, 48 teachers serving in three different elementary…

The function and purpose of higher education has changed over the last decade. COVID-19 exacerbated that change, but well before Coronavirus exploded on the world stage, standard operations at most colleges and universities were in flux. In 2013, a New York Times article predicted many colleges and universities would shutter their doors or merge…

This narrative qualitative study aimed to understand how residence hall directors navigated their unanticipated transition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Schlossberg's (1984) transition theory, this study explored the perspectives of residence hall directors within the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO) region as they…

Parasocial Relationships can mirror social relationships, particularly to individuals in isolation. Student Affairs practitioners were enormously impacted by the conditions of the Great Distress Era (the period that included the COVID-19 restrictions, racial violence and protests in response, political unrest). Many engaged in parasocial…

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus--COVID-19--a worldwide pandemic in March 2020 (Baker, 2022). Situated at a unique crossroads in that they are both social service healthcare providers and student support personnel, collegiate case managers and counselors faced the same abysmal odds as healthcare providers: an…

Because the dominant narrative in the media around teachers is fixated on the burnout and unhappiness they are experiencing, this dissertation study explored the joy female Critical Teachers of Color experienced while teaching during the COVID-19 global pandemic. In this qualitative study, I employed both autoethnography and portraitures as a way…

This research study investigated the trauma that teachers experienced and the coping mechanisms that they found effective while attempting to complete their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study will be beneficial for school districts to be able to provide effective stress management and resources for their employees. The following…

New Jersey Air and Army National Guard (NJAANG) undergraduate students endure multiple transitions throughout their academic career. In 2020, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic caused numerous activations and manning demands for the NJAANG population, further stressing coping methods. Using the follow-up, explanatory sequential mixed methods…

The COVID-19 pandemic created substantive stress and uncertainty for secondary educators, including responding to the shifts in delivering education from the traditional to the online classroom and back to the classroom. Improper training, increased work demands, increased responsibilities, and decreased autonomy took a toll on teachers' work and…

The COVID-19 pandemic can be understood through a trauma-informed lens, as the cumulative and chronic health, financial, and interpersonal stressors can be considered traumatic and may lead to long-term psychological distress. Unfortunately, this pandemic has greater impacts on marginalized populations, including those from racial and ethnic…