This research retells the stories of seven Black women with natural Black hair and hair texture during the construction of their professional identities while enrolled in medical and law school. This is the first study to explore the relationship between identity associated with Black hair and hair texture and the professional identity while…

How Latinas experience their racial identity is unique when viewed through the Black and white racial dichotomy that exists in the United States. In Latin America, race is understood to be phenotypical and determined based off the color of your skin, whereas in the United States, race is often understood to be genotypical (Darity et. al, 2005),…

In this study, I examined the effect of stereotype threat on the math task performance among Black undergraduate women (N = 103). Similar to Davis et al. (2006), I explored if racial identity beliefs moderated test performance in the face of stereotype threat. Although there is growing research on stereotype threat, few stereotype threat studies…

Several studies have related cultural stereotyping to psychological distress in individuals of color (Szymanski & Stewart, 2010). Shavers and Moore (2014) utilized Black feminist concept and examined the lived experiences of Black doctoral students and the part that experience plays in forming perseverance and wellness in doctoral programs.…

One area of identity that challenges dominant ideals of professional, neat, or appropriate appearance is Black hair. Although Black hair expression is frequent in media, politics, and pop culture, there still remains a perceived stigma surrounding its presence in positions and environments (e.g. tenure positions or predominantly White…

Previous studies focused on women of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have effectively neglected Asian American women because Asian Americans are well represented in STEM fields. Reflective of the invisible and model minority stereotypes, Asian Americans are often cast as high-achieving students, irrelevant…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of fitting-in and belonging on African American women enrolled in graduate counseling programs attending a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). This study examined how racial identity influenced each woman's unique experiences of fitting-in and belonging. Each participant had to…

Traditionally, many of the problems experienced by Black girls were overshadowed by the ongoing crises facing Black Males. Although important, the focus on Blackness and masculinity often implicitly leaves young Black girls on the sidelines and fails to recognize their unique obstacles. Fortunately, there has been a new surge of social concern…

The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of 18 African American women who went to Kenya, East Africa as part of a Cultural Reconnection delegation. A qualitative narrative inquiry method was used for data collection. This was an optimal approach to honoring the authentic voices of African American women. Eighteen African…

This dissertation uses Black feminist standpoint theory and feminist geography to construct a new approach for understanding how academically successful African American women students construct and reconstruct their identities while attending predominately White institutions (PWIs). The primary research takes place against the backdrop of an…

The purpose of this study was to determine if and to what extent the model minority myth prevents "Asian Pacific American" ("APA") women from achieving the president or chancellor position in higher education institutions. This study explored the experiences of APA female leaders who are presidents and chancellors to discover…

This study used a qualitative interview approach and thematic analysis (Braune and Clark, 2006) to interview first generation college student Latinas, exploring their experiences with higher education, their navigation/negotiation of resources for academic success and for wellness of self and family, and barriers they face as they attempt to both…