This study explores specific examples of social pressures and performances Black women student affairs professionals have navigated, adapted, and challenged since the pandemic's beginning (2020) to the present era. While utilizing Black Feminist Performance Theory (BFPT) and radical Black subjectivity (hooks, 2015), this study centers on the…

Research has recognized the importance of libraries and librarians in supporting, managing, and sustaining open educational resources (OER) programs in postsecondary institutions. Open education initiatives generally align with social justice aspirations and should be open and inclusive to everyone. Yet, in practice, this has not always been the…

My dissertation is unique and contributes to the academic literature because it explores the barriers that retired and current African American women face while pursuing and working in higher education leadership roles in Arkansas. Using a narrative inquiry design, I interviewed 17 retired and working leaders by asking them to share their personal…

For decades Latinas have been mobilizing their communities to call out and address the injustices they have encountered as women and as students of color (Garcia & Marquez, 2011). Latinas are becoming the fastest-growing minority group in California, and projections indicate this trend is expected to continue (American Association of…

The sexual abuse and prostitution of Black women is a system of oppression that has its foundation in slavery and is still embedded in the culture of the U.S. This ongoing practice of domination, racism, sexism, and class exploitation is at work daily in the lives of Black women. Some of the harsh conditions of today that limit choice and…

Throughout my life, grief's torrents have run undercurrent to my personal and professional journey. It has taken my arrival to mid-life, decades of professional and life experiences as well as higher education for this awareness to flow. I have been grieving for my lost self as woman; my shattered voice as a teacher; and the freedom to choose as a…

This qualitative study on the experiences of Latina leaders in PK-12 educational settings reveals the significant impact of their community cultural wealth on leadership development and effectiveness. By integrating personal and professional narratives, in the form of "testimonios," with theoretical frameworks like LatCrit and Culturally…

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how Black women doctoral students describe and make meaning of their scholarly identities. Additionally, this study illustrates the negotiations Black women doctoral students make in the maintenance of their scholarly personas and their influence on their doctoral socialization experiences. Using…

The California educational system is facing a major problem of diversity and representation in the teacher workforce. Latina/o children make up more than half of the population of students in California's public school system, yet their teachers do not mirror this population (CDE, 2022). According to the California Department of Education, (CDE,…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to 'come alongside' women educators who value and therefore spend extended periods of time outdoors to consider how they story those experiences and events, and, in doing so, to illuminate what their stories reveal about the influences of those experiences their worldviews, views of self, and…

How a sense of belonging is developed in Black collegiate women is critical in understanding how practitioners can support them and how institutions can provide the financial resources necessary to ensuring their successful matriculation. As experiences of Black women in college continue to be added to the scholarship, this study uses sister…

The purpose of this study is to understand how women describe their journey to becoming senior leaders within the operations sector of the Paper Manufacturing Industry. This study will provide insights about how women in the male-dominated Paper Manufacturing Industry (PMI) assumed leadership positions. This pre-registered study will offer the…

This dissertation explores the campus climate of a Historically Black University in the Southeastern United Sates by providing an overview of the campus' sexual assault policy and Black women students' and administrators' perceptions of the climate surrounding sexual assault on the campus. The research questions that guided this study are (1) How…

This qualitative research study is an endarkened narrative inquiry that tells the stories of how endarkened collegiate women know themselves as leaders or worldbuilders, trace their lineage as leaders or worldbuilders, and hope to (re)member themselves as leaders or worldbuilders. Featuring endarkened storywork, the findings honor the narrative…

Asian American women who choose a career in student affairs within the field of higher education are severely underrepresented in both staff positions and top officer/administrator positions compared to White women and other women of color. As the Asian American college student population continues to rise and women make up the majority of…