Objective/Research Question: Master narratives, as theorized using a critical race perspective, are stories of the majority that function to obscure and normalize the oppressive operation of power in society. Counternarratives are the stories of minoritized individuals which expose and challenge the stories of the majority. This study examined…

This article presents the testimonios of the gendered and cultural pathways of two Latina community college administrators. Recommendations for improving Latina leadership development include the development of a Carnala Community Network and institutional interventions for providing culturally relevant professional development opportunities.

This narrative study tells the teaching and learning story of the recently retired Dr. Peggy LePage, a longtime member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society with a career as a community college anatomy and biology professor spanning nearly three decades. Drawn from a lengthy narrative interview, this paper describes Dr. LePage's background…

This narrative study explores the leadership life stories of five women serving as community college presidents in Illinois. The purpose of this study is to explore women's experiences in leadership skill and identity development on the way to becoming community college presidents. Hearing the women share their leadership life stories directly…

This study looks at the experiences of 11 Black women as they transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions. This study employs Black Feminist Thought to help analyze the experiences of Black women who transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions. This framework is particularly applicable to this study because Black…

In 1976, at the age of 18, the author realized she was a lesbian but did not tell anyone. It was rather odd that she found coming out to be so difficult. She started dating boys when she was 15, married the first time at 18 and again at 26. Telling her secret--that she was attracted to women--would have complicated an already busy life. Being…

This theoretical paper is based on a larger study focused on understanding the experiences of Latina community college students. The purpose of this paper is to expand upon the Silence to Resilience Model, which involves four phases that Latinas encounter upon or throughout their transition to community college including: (1) Racism on campus, (2)…

As the United States economy moves away from manufacturing, members of this workforce are facing an uncertain future. In this study, an interpretive methodological framework is used to explore women's experiences with textile manufacturing job loss, and subsequent retraining at a local community college. Narratives of four displaced workers and…

As more females enter administrative positions in the field of education, the significance of females assuming presidency positions increases. With many administrators nearing retirement in the community college system, leadership opportunities for females will become more readily available. The purpose of this qualitative study was to share the…

Sociologists of education have explored the relationship between students' postsecondary aspirations and their propensity to get "cooled out" in community colleges. However, researchers have directed little attention to students whose aspirations remain stable over long periods of time or to the different roles that college degree goals…

Social challenges tear at the fabric of the African American family, revealing complexities that identify a de facto leader, the African American woman. She exists in a chasm of overt circumstances which heavily influences her successes. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that motivated seven female African American community college…

The thrust in education today is to encourage young women to enter nontraditional fields of study such as chemistry, physics, and biology. In order to better prepare the next generation of women scientists, then, we should examine the experiences of women participants already working within these areas. We can learn from their experiences. What…

Community colleges in the United States serve as social, cultural, and intellectual hubs that take the role as gatekeepers by committing to opening up the doors of opportunity to the public (Vaughan, 2006). Community colleges prepare their students for the workforce by providing credit or non-credit courses, certifications, or degrees. Depending…

This narrative research study explored the experiences of two Black women executive-level leaders who started their careers within higher education, including two-year technical colleges located in the Southeast during the pivotal sociopolitical moments that occurred during the 1960s to the 1980s. The stories of these women revealed their…

Drawing from extensive oral history interviews with five Chicana women, Malagon and Alvarez (re)conceptualize the way educational scholarship defines "high achieving." As attendees of California continuation high schools, all five women defy societal expectations by moving from these alternative educational spaces to community colleges,…