Understanding the Experiences of First Generation Students of Color Attending School at Rural Predominantly White Institutions of Higher Education
Presented by Dr. Quentin Alexander
This presentation will disseminate preliminary findings from a qualitative study about the experiences of 15 first year first generation students of color attending school at a predominantly White teaching-focused university campus in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Participants disclosed their personal narratives to the primary investigator over two different interview sessions. They talked about their experiences negotiating their multiple identities (i.e., first year status, first generation status, racial minority status) while attending school in a rural, metropolitan, and suburban areas. The focus of this presentation is on participants attending schools in a rural area. Issues related to social, emotional, personal, and academic adjustment and experiences were revealed. Though participants stated that the university made concerted efforts to augment a positive experience for them, the atmosphere of the school and town at large presented challenges that resulted in some, but not all, negative situations. Other findings from the study found that the university offered positive support through counseling services, student affairs, and other avenues, but that much more needs to be accomplished to accommodate students with the multiple identities these students possessed. Participants made recommendations about ways this university might retain students of color with other intersecting identities that may make college adjustment difficult. They also talked about the types of support systems external to the university that were important in helping them thrive, and how these supports might be incorporated into their on-campus experience. Issues such as academic advising, orientation, and social adjustment support were offered as strong suggestions.
Presenter bio:
Quentin Alexander is a tenure-track assistant professor in Counselor Education in the College of Education and Human Services and has been at Longwood University since August 2015. He holds a B.A. in Therapeutic Recreation, UNC-Chapel Hill, a M.Ed. in Special Education and Literacy, UNC-Chapel Hill, a M.Ed. in Community and Agency Counseling, North Carolina State University, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, Virginia Tech University. Quentin previously held a tenure-track position at Virginia Commonwealth University from 2011-15. He specializes in multicultural issues in counseling, teaching courses in Introduction to the Counseling Profession, Theories in Counseling, Career Counseling and Development, Multicultural Counseling, Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Group Counseling, and Supervision and Administration in Clinical Mental Health Settings. Quentin is currently the developer and coordinator of the College Counseling and Student Affairs track within the program of Counselor Education. Research interests include college adjustment for students of color and LGBTQ populations on college campuses, collaboration between counseling and special education, and the convergence of multiple identities in college student populations. He serves as a reviewer for multiple academic journals, and is on the Publications Advisory Board for the National Academic Advisors Association, where he is also in the Emerging Leaders Program.
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