Just Ask the "Only's": Discovering the Hidden Truth Experienced by Black Women in Predominantly White Institutions

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: Women at Work: Troubling the Water in Education and Academia (Table 7)

Abstract

This paper explores the lived experiences of Black women in engineering who represent ‘the only one’ in their respective engineering programs. Their stories reveal their ‘invisible truth,’ a truth that faculty might not understand, might not relate to, see as ‘credible’, or simply might not care to engage. Using a wicked problem framework, we consider the wicked world these students occupy and the problems and solutions they use to survive the American educational process.
This research incorporates interviews to make meaning of participant experiences. While many studies focus on why Black women leave engineering, this study examines their persistence and academic success strategies since their first year in college. It also considers their perspectives on diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Author

• Virginia Booth Womack, Purdue University
  Presenting Author