"This pilot study examines how participation in High-Impact Practices (HIPs) influences leadership development, campus engagement, and sense of belonging among first-generation, low-income (FGLI) undergraduate students at a large public research university in the Southeast. Despite the well-documented benefits of HIPs for student success, FGLI students participate at disproportionately lower rates due to systemic barriers, including financial constraints, off-campus work obligations, and limited institutional awareness. Guided by Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and Astin's Theory of Student Involvement, this exploratory qualitative case study centers on the lived experiences of students who navigated these barriers and engaged in at least one HIP during their undergraduate career. Data will be collected through an initial participant interest survey, followed by a demographic questionnaire, participation in a focus group, and reflections from approximately 5 to 8 FGLI junior or senior-level undergraduate students who have completed at least one HIP. Transcripts will be analyzed using coding to uncover patterns related to why students did or didn't engage, how their sense of self as leaders shifted, and whether they felt they truly belonged on campus. Keywords: High-Impact Practices, First-Generation College Students, Low-Income Students, Sense of Belonging, Leadership Development, Student Engagement, Higher Education, Access"

In 2021, California’s AB 101 mandated Ethnic Studies as a high school graduation requirement. Before that, some school districts were already developing Ethnic Studies courses to respond to local community needs, such as Stockton Unified School District. This study explores the implementation history of core Ethnic Studies classes in SUSD and examines their impact on students' sense of belonging and academic achievement, guided by Community Cultural Wealth framework. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this study combines surveys and qualitative data in oral history form from student alumni and educators. While student narratives provide insight into the courses' impact on belonging and academic engagement, teacher oral histories further reveal how educators’ moral identities and experiences with curriculum autonomy shape Ethnic Studies. Findings demonstrate that the authentic implementation of Ethnic Studies courses strengthens and centers students' academic experiences by validating cultural knowledge that is often excluded from traditional curricula. This study also anticipates that teachers promote students’ sense of belonging and engagement at school. This research is timely in contributing to ongoing debates by offering insights into how culturally relevant curriculum and pedagogy support students’ success when implemented with intention.

The aim of this research project is to target key issues experienced by transitioning high school students who are looking to enter a 4-year degree program or community college. Though high schools more often than not prepare their students for the intense rigor of college courses by requiring highly intense and demanding high school coursework, such as AP, IB, dual enrollment, or advanced gen-eds, they often fail to prepare them for the unspoken requirements of college or the invisible syllabus. The invisible syllabus, commonly referred to as the hidden curriculum, is an unspoken set of practices and skills important to navigating college and producing a successful post-secondary experience. High school students, especially first-generation college-going students from underfunded districts, may be left uncertain about how to navigate this invisible syllabus. The invisible syllabus can take many forms, most notably, the expectations of a college classroom and time management tactics, how to ask for help from Professors or knowing when to reach out and how to do so, communicate with faculty and staff, network, advocate for oneself and their work, as well as how to seek resources and various forms of aid. My goal is to create a curriculum that teaches students how to navigate the invisible syllabus and how to prepare for college outside of their classroom setting adequately. I will analyze past college preparatory curricula, courses, and programs, as well as interview educators and college students who have been involved in these college readiness programs to assess the best methods and develop a more comprehensive curriculum. Through the development of my college and career readiness curriculum, I hope to better equip students with the tools needed to succeed in their future college and career aspirations.

LGBTQ+ and first-generation Latine Americans, when focusing on their identities separately, already experience a diverse set of adverse experiences and outcomes that are tied to their identities. Culturally, first-generation Latine Americans feel as though they live in between two worlds, the United States and their parents’ country of origin, which impacts their sense of identity and belonging. LGBTQ+ first-generation Latine Americans live in a similar gray area. First-generation Latine Americans raised in immigrant households are instilled with lessons and an understanding of themselves shaped by their parents’ country of origin and their parents’ own upbringing. First-generation Latine Americans who begin to develop their LGBTQ+ identity feel an ambivalence between their understanding of what it means to be LGBTQ+ and their Latine identity. Discussing the experiences and outcomes at the intersection of the two identities reveals much to consider about the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ Latine individuals. Latine cultural values and beliefs and LGBTQ+ realities create a unique sense of identity and its development that requires further exploration, especially with the inclusion of individuals who identify as first-generation Americans raised by immigrant parents. Using the Life History Calendar method through qualitative interviews, this study aims to explore (1) how LGBTQ+ first-generation Latine young adults experience identity negotiation and self-acceptance, and (2) how familial expectations and Latine cultural values influence these experiences, in order to understand to then better support those with this lived experience. Expected outcomes will illustrate how a Latine upbringing can obstruct an individual’s LGBTQ+ identity formation.