"Havin' It...That's Why I'm in College": Documenting the American Identities of First-Year/First-Generation Students Through Photovoice

• In Event: 64.089 - Sheraton Roundtable 12 - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 64.089-4 - Student Development in Evolving Diversity

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to document the diverse American identities, from the “traditional” to the “transgressive”, that intersect with the personal experiences and identities of first-year/first-generation college students. Using photography, this study sought to support participants in documenting their own stories and identities and to advocate for Critical conversations surrounding the concerns of first-year/first-generation students. We intended to move beyond the statistics and descriptors of “who first-generation students are” and, instead, asked them to consider who they see themselves as within the context of a dynamic, technologically-driven, capitalist-oriented, divided (and, sometimes, hostile) democracy.

Authors

• Ann M. Bennett, Kennesaw State University

• Danelle Dyckhoff Stelzriede, Kennesaw State University