In the U.S., one is considered to be a First-Generation College Student (FGCS) if their parents did not obtain a bachelors’ degree. Although the definition may seem clear, some institutions define FGCS as students whose parents did not earn a college degree in the U.S. Because there is an unclear understanding of what a FGCS is, we are limited in our understanding about what particular approaches and experiences support FGCS in higher education. In this study, I will provide some clarity on who should constitute as a FGCS as well as present insight into the socio-emotional phenomena regarding their experiences, particularly in how they recall having navigated the widely acknowledged inequities in K-20 formal schooling systems. In exploring the experiences of this student population with a critical lens, I aim to identify prominent patterns in how first-gen undergrads have confronted and managed a toxic educational system in pursuit of their educational goals. Data will be collected through several semi-structured interviews with focus groups who identify as first-generation students. A narrative approach will be used to examine a timeline of participants' educational, social, and home experiences in K-20, including high points of accomplishments, joy and fulfillment as well as low points of disappointment and frustration. Findings of this study can help inform educational policies for supporting First-Generation College Students in addition to mental health practitioners that serve this population.

Literature develops emotional intelligence in youth in that by engaging in perspective taking, readers learn significant social skills such as identifying, understanding, and being able to make inferences about the emotional states of others. In 2019, the Cooperative Children's Book Center did a study of the 4,035 books received that year and found that only 29% of those books featured characters of minority. The purpose of this study is to determine how representation of underrepresented communities in children's books might affect a child's development of emotional skills. An experiment will be conducted in which adults will be interviewed about their experience reading children's books with diversity themes and/or characters from underrepresented communities to children. With the narratives and in-depth descriptions received from these interviews, it will be discerned whether adults perceive there to be any marked effect on children's use of emotional skills caused by diverse children’s books, and, if so, in what ways. If the findings of this study prove that diversity within children's books does, in fact, encourage utilization of emotional skills in children, then American schools may be moved to improve the diversity of their book selection within their English curriculum.

The University of California, San Diego’s [UCSD’s] Partners At Learning [PAL] Program co-designed a research project with the Akanksha Foundation about the impact of social and emotional learning (SEL) on students, teachers, and their families. The Akanksha Foundation is a nonprofit organization located in India dedicated to providing K-12 students from impoverished communities around Mumbai and Pune an opportunity to access a high-quality education. SEL is defined, by CASEL, as including five core competencies: self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision making, and relationship skills. These competencies revolve around teaching students other subcomponents such as identifying emotions, learning about empathy, understanding self-motivation and the role of reflecting, and the importance of teamwork. Data gathered in this study has been analyzed using the theoretical framework of Positive Youth Development (PYD). Lerner’s PYD, characterized by the “Five Cs”-- Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring, is based on positive youth development and strengths. PYD builds upon existing family and community assets by promoting social support, positive identity and values, social competency, and empowering youth. This study evaluated Akanksha’s SEL curriculum using the PYD framework. This study also fills in the gaps of PYD across cross-cultural and international contexts, since a majority of PYD literature conducted has been in white, affluent communities in the United States. Findings indicate that parent engagement helped promote both student and parent wellbeing. Also, facilitating youth leadership increased student engagement, feelings of purpose and belonging, and autonomy over learning.