A first-generation college student is defined as a student whose parents did not complete a four-year college degree (What Does Being a First-Generation Student Mean? // First-Generation College Students // Marquette University, n.d.). The goal of this study was to hear the opinions and thoughts of first-generation college students and see how social, racial, and financial barriers affect them and their transition into college. All interviews were recorded with a voice recorder and transcribed. After the transcription the data was analyzed by using thematic content analysis using excel spreadsheets to document and compare each interviewees answer to every interview question. Major findings in the study show first-generation students who are athletes have an easier time transitioning to college, minority first-generation students were afraid to attend a predominantly white institution away from home, and building connections with faculty does help the social, and financial barrier. In conclusion, the participants of this study really take a dive into their lives at home, transition into college, financial support systems, social support systems and connections at college, and their lives on campus to give readers a better understanding of the barriers first-generation college students face but rarely speak about.

Time, like other forms of capital, maintains a distinct scope of disparity for marginalized communities of color. This disparity appears as a lack of leverage over how and where communities of color can spend their time, resulting in an average day being dominated by work and limited in leisure and sleep. Existing literature about the cumulative time loss marginalized communities experience center various institutional barriers that siphon away their control and access to time, such as shift work, sleep deficiency, commute schedules, medical care delays, and incarceration. Though these studies acknowledge the growing disparity Black and Brown communities experience with time, they fall short on underscoring the overarching impact racism has on time accessibility, especially for Black children. This literature review aims to define the institutional restraints on time (e.g. healthcare, socioeconomic status, education, etc.) Black children experience and examine how they translate and exacerbate the inequities in health and wellbeing the Black community faces daily. By shedding light on the role racism plays in shaping the relationship Black youth have with time, the far reaching health consequences of these disparities in childhood, an incredibly vulnerable period for growth and development, can be better understood, investigated, and curtailed in adulthood.

As COVID-19 vaccination eligibility has opened, it’s important to consider how we ensure that communities are being adequately served and protected from disease. The Northeast San Fernando Valley (NESFV) was among Los Angeles’ most impacted communities by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NESFV is home to predominantly low and middle-income, communities of color, who often work essential jobs and reside in multigenerational households. These factors cause these community members to be at a higher risk for contracting and spreading the COVID-19 virus. However, as vaccination eligibility increases, there is still a significant gap in vaccination rates within these communities. This project examines the way that perceptions of COVID-19 vaccination are shaped among community members in the NESFV. Community outreach is often presented as the best solution to share resources with communities. However, this approach is not the most effective. Instead, literature suggests that active community engagement is key to providing long term support and solutions. This ongoing research addresses a gap in the research among communities of color, vaccines, and community engagement. The findings from this project will ideally result in better support of communities of color by creating access and proposing viable action suggestions for community leaders, organizations, and policy makers.

Youth encounter various challenges upon release from detention centers and correctional institutions, such as returning to unsafe communities, lack of parental support, and exposure to violent environments. In order to successfully reintegrate into their communities, youth rely on effective aftercare programs that support their continual development. The aim of this study was to understand the role of community based programs in providing youth with the adequate resources and services necessary for a successful transition, and to reduce the likelihood of recidivism. In order to conduct this systematic review of the literature, the researcher relied on databases such as: EBSCO, Sage Journals, and Google Scholar. Findings suggest that post-release youth may return to similar social environments experienced prior to detention, thus increasing exposure to unsafe circumstances that can increase recidivism and delinquency. Therefore, reentry programs are tasked with comprehensively understanding the social environments juveniles are returning to in order to address the social problems that can foster repeated behaviors, offenses, and trauma. A community-based approach, therefore, typically encompasses 1) social and community; 2) educational; 3) interagency collaboration; 3) family relations; 4) health and wellbeing. Assessing youth reentry programs that incorporate non correctional systems is critical to providing resources such as education, housing, parental preparation, mental health, substance abuse services, and physical health. It is essential for these reentry programs to work across agency boundaries in order to integrate with community partners and professional systems to produce a well-rounded system facilitating youth’s long-term development and transition.