The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is a matriarchal tribe located in Escambia County, Alabama. Poarch Creek women are an integral part of the Tribe and serve in various leadership positions within the organization. Poarch women are members of Alabama's only federally recognized Native American Tribe and their educational experiences are largely…

Approximately one in five U.S. young adults suffer from psychiatric disorders annually. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders is even more significant in college students. Despite the large population of college students who experience mental health disorders, they are unlikely to receive treatment on their campuses, even though campus health…

The field of modern counseling is conceptualized through a lens of social justice advocacy with professionals tasked with actively engaging in advocacy efforts. However, counselor education has been slower to make systemic changes needed to decolonize and dismantle the field to prepare future counselors with the skills needed to adequately address…

The symbolic reference to being in the "beyond" captures how individuals occupying the hybrid space create identities and cultures that extend beyond the dominant pathways recognized in engineering. The fundamental understanding of the cultural theory suggests that hybridity emerges when two cultural identities overlap that were…

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how Nigerian Americans and their families understand academic success, identity, and family influence. This research study aims to understand these three areas by examining the experiences of five Nigerian American undergraduate students and their respective families. The data for this study was…

This dissertation explored male students' perspectives on male dominance within career and technical education (CTE) programs and examined how these perspectives impact their educational experiences and career opportunities. The study uncovered a complex interplay of social, cultural, and educational dynamics that influence male students'…

This dissertation investigates the relationship between ethnicity and place among 44 young adult Latino English speakers in the state of Georgia using a mixed-methods approach. While varieties of Latino English have been studied in traditional destination communities (TDCs) like Texas, California, or New York, where the Latino populations are…

Decades of research maintain that culturally relevant teaching (CRT) is a powerful methodology for understanding the obligation to teach minoritized students of color in authentic ways that acknowledge and honor them and the ethnic groups they represent, increase achievement and engagement of students representing diverse cultures, and reduce…

Latina women are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) education majors and careers (NCES, 2019); Thus, broadening representation of Latinas in STEM is critical to diversify the workforce and to promote innovation and advancement. Past work with Latina college students has shown that contextual experiences (i.e.,…

Teacher education programs are predominantly White spaces with their faculty, teacher candidates, curriculum, and practices. In these spaces, the experiences of teacher candidates from minoritized backgrounds can be alienating and their voices can be overlooked or silenced. In three interrelated but distinct studies, this research aims to…

This case study explores ways that socio-cultural and environmental factors influence the technological experiences of marginalized, underrepresented youth at an urban summer learning program, which supports Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and environmental sustainability education. The study specifically explores the…

Politicians, legislators, and educational policy decision-makers are in agreement with education scholars that the enrichment and productivity of creative businesses, technological innovations, medical advancements, and a sustained global competitiveness are contingent on a nation acquiring a robust STEM-ready workforce. The problem addressed in…

Youth with disabilities continue to show poor in-school and post-school outcomes. Parent engagement remains as one key component to bring about positive outcomes in youth with disabilities. Despite schools' widely adapted strategies on parent engagement, parent perceptions on various parent engagement strategies is largely unknown. The purposes of…

Workforces in U.S. organizations, agencies, corporations, companies, and educational institutions are becoming increasingly multicultural and leaders in organizations are having to respond to changing workforce demographics and manage workforces that are more ethnically and culturally diverse. Organizations invest billions of dollars annually in…

The goal of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how younger generations of Southeast Asian Americans, and particularly Vietnamese American women in Southern California, are navigating their gender, ethnicity, and bicultural identities that ultimately resulted in hyper selection of pharmaceutical science as a career path. Literature…