When the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) order was initiated, the career and education outlook for DACA recipients expanded as the legal employment authorization allowed for aspirations and pursuits of higher degrees and consequently career fields commensurate with their education (Abrego, 2018). DACA is approaching its 10th year…

Hmong adolescents face many challenges during high school, particularly college and career readiness. School counselors are trained professionals who can help. This transcendental phenomenology study explored the lived experiences of six Hmong adolescents and how they make sense of college and career lessons in a group work format over six weeks.…

As the Latinx population in the United States continues to increase, so does the enrollment of Latinx students in higher education. However, the growth in enrollment is not matched with graduation and retention rates due to a general lack of support from the institutions and barriers including experiences of discrimination and struggling with…

During the 1980s, an influx of Cambodian Americans resettled in the United States due to the Cambodian genocide. Those Cambodian refugees who came to the United States as either infants, children or adolescents due to warfare, are members of the 1.5 generation. This thesis examines the educational trajectory of 1.5 generation Cambodian Americans…

This study was designed to explore, record, explain and describe the lived experiences of African American male students engaged in mentorship programs for post-secondary education. This study takes an exploratory phenomenological approach to research and is conducted at a mentorship program site. The following research questions guided this study…

First-generation Latina students are applying to four-year universities; however, they are doing so in low numbers. Those who do apply, select community colleges and "Familismo" and "Marianismo" may be hindering them from pursuing four-year schools. Research on first-generation Latina students is replete with data collected…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how and why the human, cultural, and social capital (or lack thereof) of students from rural North Carolina counties of persistent poverty impacted their decision to attend a historically black college or university (HBCU). Students from counties of persistent poverty in their first semester…

In this study I investigated the journeys of five American Indian students with disabilities (AISD) pursuing higher education in the Southwest region of the United States. Specifically, the AISD's journeys were examined to identify: (1) student perceptions and social and institutional conditions that served as barriers to pursue higher education;…

This mixed-method double-blind study was designed to examine the relationship and impact of mindset, grit, and the influence of family members in the postsecondary goal selection process of students in one rural high school in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The population for this study consisted of twelfth grade students (N = 135). The study was…

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to investigate and describe the secondary school supports, experiences, and exposures of students with intellectual disabilities participating in post-secondary education settings in southern California, that were designed based on the Think College Standards-Based Conceptual Framework for…

The continual rise of student loan debt seems to show the world that students are willing to do whatever it takes to become successful in life. However, when they have completed the requirement for the degree many question if the whole journey was worth it. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the potential…

This quantitative study examined the influence of family, school, and peers on the educational aspirations of African American male high school students in the ninth and tenth grade who live in a small Midwest town. Increasing the higher education aspirations of African American males is the first step needed to attend college, which according to…

This study examines the influences that high school seniors considered when making their plans for after graduation. Bourdieu's theory of habitus and Coleman's social capital theory inform the conceptual framework. Qualitative interviews were conducted with students and school counselors from four rural Kentucky school districts. Family, peers and…

Although in recent decades many of the outer Appalachian counties have stabilized economically, the central region of Appalachia continues to have the highest concentration of distressed and at-risk counties in the country. The geographic isolation and cultural characteristics of Appalachian communities have limited their ability to achieve…

This investigation determined the degree of importance for selected personal-psychological, academic, peer, financial, and family factors influencing the decision to attend college by first-generation, Appalachian (FGA) sophomore students. Outcomes were further related to the degree of academic and social integration in college and the likelihood…