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Student enrollment at community colleges within the U.S. has remained flat or decreased for over a decade (AACC, 2019). Before COVID-19, community colleges had been experiencing a steady decline in enrollment for approximately ten years (Irwin et al., 2021). The purpose was to determine whether demographic, environmental, and academic variables depend on a student's decision to stay enrolled at Texas Community College (TCC) [pseudonym] for cohort years 2018-2019 and 2020-2021. The study used a quantitative, non-experimental, retrospective design (Cronk, 2020) to examine a subset of archival student data from TCC, a large public college in Texas. The subset of archival data consisted of 1,242 student records from the fall 2018 academic year (before COVID-19) and 791 student records from the fall 2020 academic year (after COVID-19). The researcher used Jamovi statistical software to conduct a chi-square test of independence to examine relationships between (a) demographic, environmental, and academic variables and (b) a student's decision to enroll. For 2018 and 2020, descriptive statistics were generated for each variable to obtain frequency distributions of the levels within each variable. The levels with the highest number of counts for each variable included the following: RQ1: age (18-23), enrollment status (part-time), educational goal (associate degree), ethnicity (Hispanic), gender (female); RQ2: financial aid (yes); and RQ3: GPA (0.00-1.00). Additional proportion analyses indicated that the proportions of all levels within each variable were unequal (p<0.01). The chi-square test of independence was conducted to determine whether a statistically significant relationship existed between each of the seven variables and students' decision to enroll in the subsequent semester. For 2018 and 2020, the variables of age (18-23), enrollment status (part-time), financial aid (receipt of financial aid- yes/no), and academic outcome (GPA) played a critical role in student retention. Statistically significant relationships were absent between students' decision to enroll and the following variables: educational goal, ethnicity, and gender. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Higher education research often defines success as retention and graduation, yet for many marginalized student populations who are the first in their family to attend college, many other identities, and experiences factor into this notion of success. For Chicana/Latina first-generation college students, their cultural backgrounds, multiple social identities, and families matter in their respective college and graduate narratives. This dissertation study pushes the boundaries of higher education research by carving out spaces for those narratives and argues that the re-telling of their stories evokes new understandings of how the notion of (be)longing complicates the college experience for these formally educated women of color. (Be)longing, in this study, refers to the separate and/or simultaneous feelings of belonging and longing to belong to a particular community like family and college. The purpose of my qualitative study is to understand how the intersecting identities of Chicana/Latina college graduates influence their experience with and membership in their familias. This qualitative study is grounded in the testimonio/platicas of 12 Chicana/Latina first-generation college graduates of Research 1 institution in the Southwest U.S. Each participant engaged in two testimonio/platicas with me and an optional group testimonio/platica with other mujeres of this study. I blend the strengths and minimizes the weakness of Anzaldua's mestiza consciousness (2007) and Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth to craft a conceptual framework I name mujerista consciousness and applies that framework to the analysis of the narratives. I engage in a cyclic analytical process called Chicana intuition narrative inquiry and share three ofrendas. The first ofrenda offers insight into how first-generation Chicana/Latina college graduates embody intersectionality within and outside of their families. The second ofrenda looks at the uncertainties with which Chicanas/Latinas choose to share and withhold seminal academic and identity-related experiences and accomplishments from family members. The third ofrenda highlights how family and culture influence the values these mujeres' values while navigating college and beyond. Yet, when they put their knowledge, values, or skills learned from the college experience to use in ways that differ from family, they encounter tension and pushback, especially on critical consciousness-raising, social injustice, sexuality, and sexism. The dissertation concludes with a reflection and expansion on the mujerista consciousness and Chicana intuition narrative inquiry, as well as implications for research and practice aimed at improving the field and its educators in serving first-generation Chicana/Latina college students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As higher education institutions in the United States face pressure to develop students' capacity to thrive in a globalized society (Niehaus et al., 2019), they have turned to international programs to address this need (LeCrom et al., 2015). In the last decade, U.S. study abroad participation has continued to rise, with short-term programs representing the most significant areas of growth (Institute of International Education, 2019a, 2019b). Short-term education abroad includes faculty-led, direct enrollment, exchange, community-based global learning (CBGL), and other international learning formats and are typically eight weeks or fewer (Niehaus et al., 2019). In this study, I examine curricular and co-curricular CBGL programs because of their potential for both positive and harmful impact (Garcia & Longo, 2013). While global community-engaged programs may contribute to local change efforts within engaged communities, these programs often prioritize the learning outcomes related to student participation. Given this gap in reciprocal practice, programs are likely to engage in superficial change efforts and/or perpetuate global inequities stemming from colonial structures and imposed Eurocentric and U.S.-centric cultural frameworks. This study is guided by an extensive review of literature related to the field of CBGL where I identified three primary gaps related to the research questions. First, literature continues to exclude community voices from the process of developing CBGL theory, practice, and pedagogy (Kennedy et al., 2020; Larsen, 2016; Smaller & O'Sullivan, 2018; Sumka et al., 2015; Tonkin, 2011). Second, research that does surface community perspectives tends to have a narrow focus related to a specific CBGL program (Lough & Toms, 2018). Finally, CBGL scholars and educators tend to focus on positive outcomes and minimize adverse effects (Niehaus & Nyunt, 2020; Sherraden et al., 2008). Scholarship that addresses these gaps is necessary so that higher education institutions can support their students in developing the critical global competence that is promoted as a fundamental learning outcome. To address these gaps, especially within Indigenous contexts, CBGL scholars will need to actively center reciprocity at the heart of their practice, meaningfully engage Indigenous and local knowledge systems, and implicate themselves in the inequitable realities of their community partners. My study explored these gaps by examining how one non-governmental organization in the Solola department of Guatemala describes its experiences with international volunteers from across the global north. This research can help educators, students, and community partners understand how to decolonize and indigenize short-term CBGL programs engaged with Indigenous communities and/or on Indigenous lands. Underpinning this study is my onto-epistemological foundations in social constructionism, critical theory, and indigenization; my ethical commitment to community-engaged scholarship and decolonization; and my conceptual framing of critical hope, intercultural leadership, and interculturalidad. I conducted this study through a lens of integral methodological pluralism, recognizing that converging worldviews and epistemologies remain incommensurable so long as we attempt to make meaning of them through conflicting approaches. To bridge the knowledge systems of the local community and academic tradition, I employed a blend of two relevant methodologies: testimonio and critical micro-ethnography. Through fieldwork, platicas, researcher reflexivity, and member checking, I co-constructed a critical narrative detailing the experiences of the Guatemalan community with foreign volunteers. The findings of this study illustrated that there continues to be a gap between the established best practices related to community-engaged programs, like CBGL, and the lived experiences of the communities with which we partner. The experiences recounted by members of the Guatemalan host community reflected the issues in the field of CBGL outlined in the literature review. Similarly, the aspirations reflected in the testimonio aligned with literature related to meaningful partnerships. Through the testimonio that emerged from this study, I identified six key phases that require intentional collaboration with community partners: (1) institutional preparation, (2) partnership development, (3) program design, (4) pre-departure learning objectives, (5) program cycle debrief and evaluation, and (6) alumni engagement. Engaging in these phases in collaboration with community partners can ensure that reciprocity remains at the forefront of program design. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Prior research on Latinos in higher education has centered on challenges in four-year universities (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1978, 1983; Wild & Ebbers, 2002). However, many Latinos in the United States seek higher education in two-year colleges where they comprise the largest group, representing between 41% to 46% of the student population (Bailey, Jenkins, & Leinbach, 2005; California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, 2016; Krogstad, 2015; Suarez, 2003). Very little research has been conducted on Latino students in these institutions despite being less likely to earn certificates and degrees, or transfer to a four-year university compared to other students (Arbona & Nora, 2007; de los Santos & de los Santos, 2006; Engle & Tinto, 2008; Ishitani, 2006; Krogstad, 2015; Rendon & Garza, 1996). Empirical research is needed that considers the opportunities and contextual factors that shape Latino students' success in two-year settings. Drawing from Lerner's (2006) Relational Developmental Systems theory, a model of Latinos' individual characteristics and use of key resources in the community college environment was proposed. Based on quantitative survey responses from a three-year longitudinal study in southern California (N = 403), structural equation modeling was used to test how well the hypothesized conceptual models fit the data. Results indicated that students' initial college intentions, and enrollment in remedial courses, as well as English Language Development classes were influential in predicting college success three years later. However, findings from the current study did not align with prior research on high school grade point average, college self-efficacy, and income, as these were not significantly related to Latino students' achievement of community college goals. Results from the study highlight student-level factors and institutional features that most significantly contribute to Latino students' success in community college settings. The implications for research, educational policy, and higher education practices are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This descriptive case study examined the meanings public elementary school teachers (N = 13) made of learning to enact citizen science projects in their schoolyards in partnership with a local Arboretum. Utilizing Engestrom's (2001) framework of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), the Arboretum's outreach program for area Title 1 schools was viewed as an activity system composed of and acting in partnership with the teachers. The major finding was that teachers designed and mastered new ways of teaching (expansive learning) and transformed their citizen science activity to facilitate student engagement and learning. I highlight four important themes in teachers' expansive learning: (a) discussion, (b) inclusion, (c) integration, and (d) collaboration. Teacher learning communities formed when colleagues shared responsibilities, formed mentor/mentee relationships, and included student teachers and interns in the activity. This program could serve as a model for elementary school citizen science education, as well as a model for professional development for teachers to learn to teach science and Environmental Education outdoors. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This capstone explores a strategic planning process I carried out at the NYC Leadership Academy (NYCLA), a nonprofit organization. Through the development and launch of a strategic plan for the NYCLA alumni network, I learned that nonprofit organizations face strategic planning considerations distinct from those of private-sector organizations. In an effort to reconcile the tension between what I see as organizational solvency and mission fulfillment in the alumni network strategic planning process, I explore the merits and limitations of Mark Moore’s strategic triangle framework and determine how a nonprofit might make best use of the framework in strategic planning. Ultimately, I conclude that the NYCLA alumni network and similarly-situated nonprofit organizations can manage the tension between mission fulfillment and organizational solvency by strategizing for public value. I also reflect on the success of Marshall Ganz’s community organizing practices in engaging and mobilizing the NYCLA alumni network. I argue that nonprofits should leverage community organizing practices to build authentic stakeholder involvement and authorship in the strategic planning process.