Employing Resistance and Resilience in Pursuing K-12 Schooling and Higher Education: Lived Experiences of Successful Female First-Generation Students of Color

Abstract

Drawing upon standpoint theory and phenomenology, this study chronicles the lived experiences of 16 successful female first-generation students of color as they pursued K-12 schooling and accessed higher education. Findings indicate that a complex set of school, family, peer, and personal factors affected students’ lived experiences in their urban environments; three holistic student profiles illustrate the interconnectedness of these factors. Stories of successful female first-generation students of color demonstrate how they, despite facing numerous challenges, used resistance and resilience during their K-12 urban schooling and when accessing higher education.

Keywords

first generation students resistance resilience public higher education programs postsecondary education diversity social culture subjects college access urban education minority academic success students of color

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