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Significant world events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have shifted the way that people of all ages view their careers and the meaning of work in their lives. While campus career services hold a mandate to facilitate student career readiness and success, it cannot accomplish this ambitious goal alone. "Career influencers" are student affairs educators, administrators, and faculty members who regularly interact with students on campus and can initiate meaningful career-related conversations--even if they do not hold career development expertise. The authors discuss the value of "purpose narratives" that students can construct to describe their experiences and help build resiliency during times of uncertainty. The conclusion provides recommendations for post-secondary educators to consider to effectively frame every student conversation as a career conversation.

Stories and storytelling provide meaning and build connections between individuals. Using various narrative frameworks developed in the medical and career development disciplines, the author makes the case that narrative approaches can be applied to higher education and student affairs contexts. The use and misuse of technology can serve as a barrier when it disrupts the interactions and objectives between educator and student. An overview of narrative competencies--a collection of skills that educators can use with students--is provided in an attempt to more fully listen and honor students' voices. Students can learn to develop "authoring" and "re-authoring" skills to highlight competencies they developed during times of crisis and transition. Two students' stories of how they negotiated a harrowing study abroad experience during the beginning of COVID-19 are shared. The author highlights several examples of narrative-based curriculum and encourages student affairs educators to integrate narrative models into existing and new training programs.

This essay highlights the interconnected nature of social media use and mental health challenges for women college students and provides recommendations to practitioners for supporting healthy social media use through efforts to disrupt perceptions of social media norms. Vignettes of three students who participated in a qualitative study the authors conducted that explored the relationships between social media use and perceptions of mental health are shared. The study not only captured the complexity of these relationships, it also allowed the authors to recognize students' own awareness of the issues they face and the role of social norms on students' social media use. Applying a social norms framework, the authors advocate for student affairs educators and other higher education professionals to integrate discussions of social media into their practice, empowering students to create their own healthy social media habits and free time away from social media.

This article explores the complex future of work and how projected changes in the workplace will inevitably influence college students. We examine workforce trends and predictions with a focus on the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, including how an increasing reliance on machines will replace and reshape millions of jobs. In response, we argue that higher education professionals need to initiate conversations with students about how to deal with "the end of work." In particular, if students possess a strong self-understanding of the meaning and values they assign to work, they will be in a better position to prevail against the constant unpredictability of the future workplace. We discuss recommendations for students and workers in an attempt to re-frame the necessary skills to thrive in the future workplace and provide several suggestions for higher education professionals to facilitate the learning and relearning of these skills. We conclude with student self-reflections from an undergraduate course focused on technology, ethics, and the future of work. Student narratives emphasize the importance of meaning as it relates to work and career planning.

There is a large gap in college access and success for undocumented students. This emergent population remains uniquely and precariously situated within campus environments, despite the passage of Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Acts in some states. These inequities have sparked activism for DREAMers associated with the undocumented youth movement. Using data from interviews of 16 undocumented students at a selective California research institution, this study explores the ways in which DREAMers constructed an empowered undocumented identity through activism. Constructivist grounded theory was used as a frame to guide data interpretation and analysis with the aim of uncovering invisible societal processes and power dynamics affecting this population. Three categories were saturated: coming to activism, pushing for existence, and inscribing power. These categories reveal the way in which DREAMers derive power through their activism, sustain that activism despite oppressive societal conditions, and embrace tenets reflective of global social justice. Implications for institutions and policymakers that support success for this student population are drawn.

A growing number of college-age Blacks in the United States are Black African immigrants. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, the researchers interviewed 12 undergraduate Black African immigrant college students attending a predominately White institution (PWI) about their experiences and perceptions of belonging. Findings suggest their of belonging sense shaped by interactions with the contextual factors of their environment (i.e., interactions with faculty members, institutional agents, and peers on campus). Physical and symbolic spaces on campus also impacted students' overall experiences of belonging and transition to college. Implications for practice include creating spaces to foster community and engagement.

This study explored the experiences of nine undocumented Latino/a students and their perception of interactions with faculty and institutional agents at a predominantly White institution (PWI). Using Charmaz as a lens to analyze individual student interviews, three main findings resulted: sharing one's story, encountering barriers to full participation, and experiencing significant interactions. Students described numerous obstacles that prevented them from developing validating relationships with faculty and institutional agents, primarily due to their undocumented status.

The research on learning communities has focused primarily on students at four-year colleges and universities. There is a dearth of studies that examine learning communities in community colleges. The purpose of this comparative study was to conduct an analysis of learning community and nonlearning community students in a community college located in the upper Midwest. An online survey instrument was developed to collect data on a number of dimensions including background characteristics, perception of the community college environment, academic experience and level of engagement, academic involvement, overall knowledge, and satisfaction. This article reports quantitative findings that are the first phase of a multiphase study. The descriptive comparative study highlights results of learning community and nonlearning community students. The findings suggest differences between the two groups on a number of dimensions. The authors conclude the article by addressing implications for practice, policy, and future research. (Contains 6 tables.)

A study was undertaken to determine how teaching in learning communities (i.e., courses that are linked or intentionally integrated in terms of learning objectives and shared assignments) affects the perspectives and work of community college faculty members. Interviews with 14 faculty members who taught in learning communities at a Midwestern community college indicated that the benefits of participation included greater empathy for and awareness of students, the development of authentic relationships with students, enhanced engagement in the larger campus community, and active collaboration and professional development with faculty colleagues across disciplines. Study limitations and implications are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)

This article describes an initiative that integrated a strengths-base curriculum into a first-year experience program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Using a positive psychology framework, students completed the StrengthsQuest and participated in activities designed to help them learn and apply their signature talent themes. A pre- and postsurvey were included to assess measures related to students' self-awareness. The results suggest that a curriculum based on strengths positively impacts students' awareness of their strengths, a factor that, in turn, has positive implications for students' major/career choices and future decision-making. Strategies for practice and guidelines for future research are highlighted. (Contains 1 table.)

The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of work for Black, sub-Saharan African immigrant adult students pursuing a 4-year college degree. Career development practitioners are in a unique position to help these students make significant life-career decisions. Seven students enrolled at an urban university located in the Midwest were interviewed. Emphasis was placed on sociocultural, historical, political, and other contextual factors that affected life-work choices. Work was viewed holistically as a combination of both paid and unpaid roles. Work narratives were collected and interpreted using Gadamerian hermeneutics grounded in a constructivism paradigm. An analysis of narrative approach was used. Three main findings emerged as themes: Meaning of work was shaped by contextual factors; work experiences were closely connected to family and community; and students' identities and work roles evolved over time. Theoretical implications and practical strategies for career counselors, with a focus on social justice, are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

Immigrant college student populations continue to grow, but the complexity of their unique needs and issues remain relatively unknown. To gain a better understanding of the multiple contextual factors impacting immigrant students from a systems-based approach, I applied Bronfenbrenner's (1977) human ecology framework to the study. Students interact with the environment, including exchanges with academic advisors, that influence student development, success, and retention. In this theory-based essay, I contend that the philosophy of a developmental ecology approach parallels the foundational tenets of developmental academic advising, mainly through an emphasis on context and working with the whole student. I offer strategies for practice and ideas for future application as well as use an adapted human-ecological model to illustrate immigrant issues. (Contains 1 figure.)

The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to explore the career development needs and issues that are unique to Black sub-Saharan African immigrants, with an emphasis on college students, and (b) to discuss how career development professionals can implement strategies to better serve these students. The number of Black immigrants from sub-Saharan African countries has increased recently. Many immigrants are confronted with complex life decisions. Career counselors are in a unique position to assist. Theoretical approaches, with a focus on contextual factors, are discussed. Six strategies for a career counseling practice, suggestions for their application, and implications for practice are highlighted.

Purpose: To understand the trade-offs, defined as compromises or decisions students must make to prioritize one important need over another, as a result of economic constraints, food insecure (FI) college students experience and the perceived impact of these challenges on health, well-being, and academic achievement. Design: 8 Semi-structured focus groups. Setting: Seven 2- and 4-year Minnesota colleges. Participants: 53 students initially screening positive for FI. Method: The focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis, a systematic approach for identifying and analyzing patterns across qualitative data, was used through four analysis phases to identify themes and categories. Results: We identified five themes within trade-offs: sacrificing food, missing out on relationships, sacrificing academic studies, choosing between basic needs, and maintaining physical and mental well-being. The trade-offs students described were multifaceted, caused notable stress and worry, and presented challenges to students' well-being. Conclusion: This study provides evidence on the complexities of FI among students and details on what students may be sacrificing as a result of making trade-offs. Understanding the trade-offs students are experiencing can help college staff to prioritize which issues to focus on to improve student health and academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explored the experiences of 23 food insecure undergraduate students. We interviewed participants about their experiences with hunger and food access, including how food insecurity affected their daily lives. Using holistic student development as a theoretical framework, our thematic analysis of individual student interviews produced three findings: (a) learning to work around hunger, (b) managing anxieties around food and wellness, and (c) acknowledging that food insecurity is a shared and critical issue. Our findings expand the literature on college student food insecurity, which is largely based on quantitative studies. We discuss implications for practice, policy, and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explores the career–life experiences of foreign-born immigrant women pursuing undergraduate degrees. Two conceptual frameworks guided this study: life role salience and systems theory framework. We interviewed 18 women studying at a regional comprehensive university in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Two categories emerged from our analysis, which used constructivist grounded theory methods: (a) managing multiple roles, expectations, and options and (b) mediating the contexts that influence career–life decisions. Each category is organized by two subcategories. Our findings led to two theoretical propositions as well as suggestions for career development practitioners and implications for practice, policy, and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides insights into the experiences of working-class students in a large, public research university. Using the Student Experience in the Research University national survey, results indicate that working-class students have less social capital, a lower sense of belonging, and less academic engagement as compared to their middle/upper-class peers. Additionally, this article suggests that social capital is positively associated with working-class students' sense of belonging and academic engagement. Implications and strategies for student affairs practitioners are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived academic obstacles of first-generation students in comparison to non-first-generation students. Using the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) completed by approximately 58,000 students from six research universities, the researchers used nonparametric bootstrapping to analyze differences between first-generation and non-first-generation students' obstacles to academic success. The results suggest that first-generation students more frequently encounter obstacles that compromise their academic success as compared to non-first-generation students, such as job responsibilities, family responsibilities, perceived weak English and math skills, inadequate study skills, and feelings of depression. Implications for learning assistance professionals are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between students' participation in community service and their sense of belonging on campus. Furthermore, the study explored whether the ways in which students become involved in community service yield different associations with their sense of belonging. Using the Student Experience in the Research University survey administered to students at 12 large, public research universities in 2010, it was discovered that general participation in service and becoming involved in service through student organizations, fraternities or sororities, and university departments are positively associated with students' sense of belonging; finding service opportunities on one's own is negatively associated with sense of belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many US college students experience food insecurity (FI). Given most students are excluded from receiving federal nutrition assistance, additional efforts are needed to alleviate student FI. This perspective discusses proposed and enacted state statutes, resolutions, and bills addressing college FI to date, which range in depth, breadth, and success. Overall, states have demonstrated their promising role in addressing FI; however, college FI promises to be a continuing challenge, particularly given continued widespread unemployment that began with the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 and the global struggle for economic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research conducted before coronavirus disease-2019 illustrated high rates of food insecurity among college students. The pandemic has likely increased student food insecurity because of factors like unemployment and closure of campus resources, and many students cannot access federal food assistance because of long-standing student restrictions. This perspective reviews federal legislation on college food insecurity introduced in the 116th legislative session (2019–2020) immediately before coronavirus disease-2019 in the US, as well as pandemic-related stimulus bills and their implications for future policies and practice. Food insecurity promises to become more pressing as colleges try to reopen and the country grapples with economic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]