Cultural wealth, social capital, and career outcomes : Black alumnae in a minority serving institution in the southeastern United States
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Nicole R. Hall (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Katherine C. Mansfield
Abstract: The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how Black alumnae, women who have attained undergraduate degree completion, perceived their cultural and social capital and its influence on post-graduate career outcomes. For a Black woman seeking to make the transition from college to career, there are many institutional structures and combative forces that impede her career progression. Through individual semi-structured interviews with eight Black alumnae who attended the same minority serving institution, participants shared their experiences in the campus setting and their perceptions of how access to certain knowledge, information, and relationships during college helped them attain post-graduate career outcomes. Findings indicated that meaningful relationships and resources, which provided social capital and navigational capital, made the women’s time in college a richer developmental experience and aided in their transition from campus to career. Participants also discussed and modeled ways they individually contributed to their own college experiences. The findings aligned with the extant literature which captured the depth of parental emotional support and encouragement, and the support of peers. This study builds on the influence of institutional agents and extends understanding by illuminating the forms of capital transmitted by agents to support career aspirations. However, the study reached a different conclusion from the literature regarding the nature of the relationships between the Black alumnae and faculty – they lacked depth of mentorship. Higher education can better support Black undergraduate women by creating international networks within the university and integrating the career center into the academic experience to help students become aware of the assets, forms of capital, they possess which they can leverage to transition from campus to career.
Cultural wealth, social capital, and career outcomes : Black alumnae in a minority serving institution in the southeastern United States
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Created on 12/1/2022
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2022
- Keywords
- Black Undergraduate Women, Career Outcomes, Cultural Capital, Institutional Agents, Parents, Social Capital
- Subjects
- Women, Black $x Education (Higher) $z United States
- College students, Black $z United States $x Social conditions
- College graduates, Black $x Employment $z United States
- Mentoring in education $z United States