In this chapter, I will share about my personal journey, highlighting key moments, personal experiences, and relationships encountered at different points along the way. Hindsight provides so many lessons. When recounting my story, I tend to contextualize my experience as a "First." A First is an individual who was once a…

As migration and displacement continue to increase around the world, guidelines are needed clarifying how school counselors can use their power and privilege in working with refugee students and their families across K-12 education, more so in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. We introduce the Refugee Well-Being Project intervention to school…

On-line learning during the past three semesters, Spring, 2020 through Spring, 2021, has changed the educational delivery paradigm in higher education, perhaps forever. Hitherto, the literature regarding the efficacy of on-line vis-à-vis in-class learning has been affected by the self-selection bias of on-line learners. No longer. The past three…

Various studies have shown the need for and importance of inclusion in an undergraduate student's campus experience, academic success and career development. The Biomedical Engineering (BME) Department organizes monthly department events, such as open house, internship and career workshops, Lunch and Learn with employers, and holiday parties.…

There are several indicators (e.g. lower enrollment rates and lower persistence rates) that rural people are achieving less postsecondary success compared to their urban peers. This is particularly true for people with low socioeconomic statuses and people of color. This article, therefore, utilizes critical race theory in education as a framework…

Undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiences have academic, psychological, and social challenges that require additional support to navigate. This article explains the implementation of a STEM peer coaching program designed to provide such support. Through this program, undergraduate STEM students served as…

This paper describes the benefits of student-run publications from the perspective of two undergraduate students. Based on their experiences, the commentary elaborates how reviewing for a student journal has contributed to their growth as writers and developed a sense of community.

The role and significance of adjunct faculty in the success of higher education programs cannot be overstated. Institutions should consider ways to foster self-efficacy and a sense of belonging among this contingent population of faculty, one reason being the profound impact adjunct faculty members can have on the student experience. This article…

The Center of Black Student Excellence is a transformative initiative within the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) dedicated to uplifting the educational experiences of Black students. It fosters a sense of belonging, pride, and agency, encouraging Black students and their families to pursue futures characterized by excellence and…

Research methods based on modelling and simulation (M&S) are gaining popularity among social scientists to study societal dynamics. Emphasising the importance of this research approach, the Department of Religion, Philosophy and History at the University of Agder initiated a methodology module to help students on the religious studies…

Responding to pervasive mental and physical stresses of the COVID-19 crisis, the author assigns first-year students various routine wellness practices for one hour each week along with requisite reflective writing exercises. Student expectations, experiences, and outcomes are presented.

We demonstrate that Black children are not faring well in early childhood settings and suggest ways educators can work toward ensuring that Black children thrive and flourish in schools. Five types of daily violence/traumas that Black children experience in schools are described against the ethical backdrop "First Do No Harm" (Boutte,…

This short paper builds on previous work in the area of supervision of professional doctorates, supervision and coaching, and explores the relationship between Long Term (LT) Coaching and doctoral supervision in a transdisciplinary professional doctorate. We begin by summarizing the experience of one doctoral supervisee (Phyllis) whose research…

How do students define success? Surely, they have many of the same goals as policy makers and institutional leaders, but maybe they are aiming for something more. Since students are partners in higher education, the authors thought it was important to learn what they had to say. This led to a student success project for the Higher Education Data…

What do we, as women, give up? What does it mean to give up as a woman in academia? We explored this question through a study with women doctoral students to reframe giving up as a purposeful, willful act. Sara Ahmed describes willfulness in relation to women who are perceived as resisting norms, shifting away from normative expectations, refusing…