The study explored the profound influence an attuned mentor can have on the career trajectories of young mothers. By engaging in detailed interviews with women who navigated the challenges of early motherhood while pursuing higher education and establishing themselves in the workforce, this researcher seeks to uncover the pivotal role mentors…

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between life design and student leadership development at Bowling Green State University. Life design is a creative problem-solving framework that empowers students to apply design thinking mindsets and methods in their own lives to creatively solve problems (Burnett & Evans, 2016).…

Black college students are using career services more than any other group, yet they are not experiencing the same rate of college completion and post-graduate employment success as their peers, even as these outcomes are associated with accessing the resources offered by career services. While Black students are using career services, there is…

Purpose and meaning in career development has become an increasing area of interest in the field of counseling and vocational psychology. Indeed, a burgeoning body of literature exists examining meaning-making in working adults, however presently there is a paucity of research examining meaning-making for college students' academic major. Theories…

In 2023, the value of a college education is being questioned. Because information is readily available, we Google what we want to know, type a query or phrase into ChatGPT, press the enter key, and then a multitude of answers become accessible. However, in this age of technology, online access, and Artificial Intelligence, could self-directed…

The choice of college and careers are not simple. The choices students make when selecting a college can affect them for their entire life. Tressie Cottom (2017), in her book, "Lower Ed," describes our educational journey like a stream (Cottom, 2017). We are all traveling down the stream of life, and there are rocks and forks. The…

With numbers over half a million, student-athletes are a significant, yet unique, population on college campuses. They encounter unique experiences and face unique challenges, not the least of which is navigating the competing roles of student and athlete. Navigating these roles within the high-stakes and competitive world of collegiate athletics…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and improve career development for rural college students in Western New York State. An initial research cycle utilized semi-structured interviews to identify rural college students' perceptions about their career development and the career-related institutional supports and experiences…

This study used the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI; Sampson et al., 1996b), Career Decision Making Readiness Scale, (Osborn et al., 2022), the Career Locus of Control Scale (CLCS) (Trice et al., 1989), and the Commitment to Career Choice scale (Blustein et al., 1989) to examine the relationships among dysfunctional career thoughts, career…

The creation and implementation of holistic educational experiences is invaluable for optimal student and staff development and retention in an institution of higher education. This dissertation involves a participatory action research on one such mechanism: mentorship. This study on mentorship leverages Tinto's (1975-2014) theoretical frameworks…

As studies highlight the career transition struggles of collegiate student-athletes (Hansen et al., 2019; Payne & Driska, 2020; Woods, 2017), researchers have called for more investigation into the influence of various environmental factors on student-athlete outcomes (Navarro & Malvaso, 2015; Navarro et al., 2019). Collegiate…

One way to engage in career exploration and gain expertise in a specific field is through a college education. Some studies have sought to discuss the external factors that play a role in a student's career decision making prior to and after entering college, but none of these studies discuss the role a social movement plays in a college student's…

This study was designed to explore whether athletic identity, NCAA division level, or sport revenue earnings impact student-athletes' ability to prepare for their career as they transition out of sport. Social identity theory was discussed to examine how identity formation may influence navigating the dual roles of being both a student and an…

In this study, Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994; 2000) was the theoretical framework to understand Black Women college students' career development process that included cultural (person and contextual factors). Due to Black Women embodying two historically oppressed and marginalized identities (gender and…

On June 24, 2022, the United States (U.S.) Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which has provided federal protection for safe and legal abortion access and care for 49 years in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. This decision gave states the power to enact some of the most restrictive abortion policies, resulting in 14…