Abstract
Our analysis reveals how a flagship community-based-learning program fortifies diversity, equity, and inclusion by showcasing underrepresented students’ as change makers. The program provides action research projects with social enterprises in underserved communities, creating opportunities for students with multicultural competencies to exercise more leadership than students from a mono-cultural background. First-generation, immigrant, and low-SES alumni report how centering a strengths-based approach curates a transformational experience in which their assets as multiple language speakers and multicultural competencies are key to programmatic success. The research draws on survey and interview data from the first decade of the program’s alumni that placed students to work with social entrepreneurs creating economic opportunities that advance the common good. Alumni describe this combination as “transformational,” impacting their college experiences, subsequent personal and professional growth, and quality of life thanks to in-depth reflective exercises in vocational discernment informed DEI pedagogies. They also report that the program deepens self-knowledge and the integration of their social justice beliefs into their personal and professional lives through vocational discernment as a lifelong ethical practice for DEI. By valorizing the leadership of students from traditionally underrepresented groups, this program supports alumni’s formation of an entrepreneurial mindset as they embark on lives of service in various careers.
Presenters
Laura RobinsonStudent/Professor Team, Sociology, SCU, California, United States Katia Moles
Student, BA, Santa Clara University, CA, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Education and Learning Worlds of Differences
KEYWORDS
DEI, First Generation, Students, Community Based Learning, Traditionally Underrepresented Groups
