Understanding the Nexus of Well-Being, Class, and Postsecondary Education for Low-Income Students

• In Event: From Surviving to Thriving: Institutional Support and Well-Being for Diverse Student Groups

Abstract

This narrative inquiry study aims to complicate understandings of well-being, low-income status, and postsecondary institutional support. Drawing from longitudinal interviews conducted with 16 low-income students attending university in the midwestern United States, data illustrate how students navigated social relationships and financial stress en route to cultivating their well-being. By highlighting student stories of well-being (or lack thereof) the paper intends to illustrate the effects of classism on well-being in postsecondary settings. Study implications include informing how postsecondary institutions, programs, and practitioners might best support the well-being needs and experiences of low-income students.

Authors

• Ralitsa Todorova, University of Southern California

• Genia M. Bettencourt, University of Memphis

• Zoë Corwin, University of Southern California