Utilizing narrative inquiry, this study collected individual interviews to understand how nine Black students who experienced the carceral nexus of foster care navigated college. Utilizing BlackCrit and Community Cultural Wealth as a theoretical framework, findings show how the foster care system was dehumanizing and stripped students of their…

In this duoethnography, the co-authors share their experiences and reactions to trauma as student affairs practitioners in the wake of a car and knife attack at Ohio State University. Our goal in sharing these stories is for readers to join us as collegiate educators in this journey of exploring trauma and the healing process. We want to continue…

Sixty percent of students experience the death of a close person at some point in their post-secondary studies. This life stage is characterized by cognitive, academic, social, physical, emotional, and identity-related stressors which together may also intensify grief. Importantly, post-secondary students' unique needs may not be addressed by…

Female doctoral students often experience several challenges in the program while balancing their personal and family roles. This phenomenological study investigated the experiences of international student mothers (N = 6) while pursuing full-time doctoral degrees, providing insights into how they navigate a research university. The study has one…

Supported by considerable public investment through post-9/11 higher education benefits, student military service members/veterans (SSM/ Vs) have been one of the fastest-growing groups of nontraditional students in American universities in recent years. Despite their increased numbers and potential to diversify science, technology, engineering,…

Chronic illnesses are defined as any physiological condition that persists for at least 3 months and often does not resolve (Rosina et al., 2003). Growing numbers of young adults with chronic illnesses pursue higher education (Mullins et al., 2017), yet they arrive at college unprepared to manage their conditions (Gray et al., 2018; Schaefer et…

Our study examines how the relationships with various human ecological systems influence the transition by rural students from home communities to postsecondary institutions. Using phenomenological interview data with 14 students who are from rural Alaska and 14 postsecondary student service staff, our analysis identified characteristics of the…

Feeling a part of a university community is an important factor in college students' success, yet little is known about how transfer students construct a sense of community at their new institutions. Drawing from surveys and interviews of transfer students at a highly selective university, we used a multi-method approach to understand the elements…

The discourse about men of color in higher education centers on their lower enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates. This paper drew on validation theory to understand how two men of color programs helped 41 Black, Latino, Asian American, and Pacific Islander college students develop healthy gender expression and emotional vulnerability.…

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions in the US to transition to online instruction, a particular subpopulation of students was highly impacted: international students. This study was aimed at understanding the impact of COVID-19 on international students' social support, financial well-being, and psychological stress.…

The purpose of this study was to explore outness among bisexual, pansexual, and fluid (BPF) undergraduate students. Data for this study originated from The National LGBT Alumni Survey (Garvey, 2016) and includes 367 BPF respondents. We utilized a linear regression analysis to understand the influences of independent variables on BPF student…

Drawing from 34 in-depth interviews, we examined the senior-year transitions of second-generation immigrant (SGI) college students, who are members of the first generation in their families to grow up in the US. We considered the ways SGI college seniors made meaning of parental involvement and negotiated relationships with parents during this…

Scholars have adapted college student identity development models to examine and highlight the unique, laborious, and varied experiences of marginalized populations. However, researchers have minimally explored the perspectives of nontheistic and nonreligious college students using poststructural methodologies. I followed a post-intentional…

We examined whether American college students who perceive their college environment as supportive for their meaning searching report higher levels of meaning in life. We also examined whether students' perception of college environmental support for meaning searching moderates the relation between the presence of and search for meaning. Students'…

We investigated the relationship of school adjustment and social support with the mental health of mainland Chinese college students studying in Hong Kong. During the spring semester in 2011, 384 mainland Chinese college students across the postsecondary institutions in Hong Kong completed a questionnaire. Results showed that better school…