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While a strong literature base exists around undergraduate experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), few studies examine how students approach the question of "what's next" after graduation. This study examines the impact of social ties on STEM college seniors' plans to enter the STEM workforce, and how race/ethnicity and gender impact postgraduation planning in STEM. We interviewed a racially diverse sample of 39 STEM college seniors at a predominantly White research institution. Analysis showed that students relied on weak and strong social ties in obtaining job leads and valued diversity in the workplace. Some students of color and women experienced negative social ties (via racism and sexism) during internship experiences, which shaped their thinking around postgraduate opportunities. We discuss implications for equity, as well as recommendations for research and practice.

Higher education practitioners are a wide-ranging group of professionals often responsible for implementing programs and services that support student success. In this qualitative study, we examine the nature of student-practitioner relationships among a multiracial sample of 39 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college seniors to address three questions: (a) How do STEM students describe their relationships with practitioners on campus? (b) In what ways, if any, do student-practitioner relationships influence STEM students' feelings of marginality and/or mattering in STEM? and (c) To what extent do STEM students have different experiences based on their racial/ethnic identities? We employ a cross-case study analysis approach, contrasting the experiences of majority-status (e.g., White and Asian/Asian American) and minoritized-status (e.g., Black/African American and Latinx) students within STEM contexts. Our findings show clear differences regarding how students describe their interactions with practitioners based on racial/ethnicbackground, as well as how student-practitioner relationships impact students' sense of mattering and marginality in STEM. We conclude with implications for research and practice to address the persistent structural issues affecting STEM college students.

In this qualitative case study, using Freire's theory of critical consciousness development, we examined the influence of a 1-credit immigration policy service-learning course on college students' motivations to act against immigration injustices. We found that after witnessing immigration issues at the Lower Rio Grande Valley area in Texas, participants felt compelled to advocate for immigrant communities. Also, by engaging in a critical analysis of systemic discrimination and ongoing reflections of their social locations, participants saw possibilities for both micro- and macro-level actions they could take to support immigrants and refugees. However, while participants felt an urge to act at the macro-level, they felt limited and powerless without additional credentials, such as law degrees. Participants perceived that to foster changes at a macro-level, they needed to further their education; thus, they focused their immediate efforts on micro-level actions, such as talking to family and friends about immigration policy issues.

In this longitudinal qualitative study, we examined how 23 undocumented college students with and without DACA navigated the college graduation process and transitioned out of higher education. Despite the growing number of undocumented students with and without DACA enrolling and graduating from college over the past 10 years, few studies have been conducted about this significant life event that can involve numerous new challenges and opportunities for them. We used Schlossberg's (2008) transition theory to design the study and analyze our data. We found that undocumented students with and without DACA perceived their transition out of higher education as an expected change with unanticipated conditions and non-events out of their control. Surprisingly, the data showed that having DACA did not translate into more stability for participants at the time of graduation. The uncertainty connected to participants' immigration status, coupled with the ambiguous sociopolitical climate and the COVID-19 pandemic, continuously created unpredictable situations that clouded their ability to navigate the changes with confidence. In this article we present our findings through two in-depth participant narratives to bolster humanizing and counterstorytelling practices in higher education scholarship. We offer implication for research, policy, and practice.

Literature shows that undocumented students in the United States experience significant challenges to and through higher education. Only a few studies have uncovered the mechanisms that undocumented students use to persist in college; in particular, the role that family plays on their postsecondary success is understudied. In this qualitative study, I examine the role that family plays on undocumented students' college aspirations and persistence. Findings from a sample of 16 undocumented students attending a four-year public university show that their families are the stimulus motivating them to pursue higher education, as well as the support system they can rely on to manage college barriers. However, the data also revealed that for a few participants, their families are a source of stress, resulting in additional challenges they must manage as they navigate higher education. I present these findings using participants' vignettes and conclude with implications for higher education research and practice.

This study extends previous research on student-faculty interaction and discriminatory climates in STEM fields by examining the effect of both positive/neutral and discriminatory forms of student-faculty interactions on GPA and academic satisfaction. Feeling discouraged from speaking in class due to race was negatively associated with student GPA, which was more pronounced among women and Black students. Asking questions in and after class was positively linked with GPA and academic satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of positive student--faculty interaction for the retention of diverse students in STEM.