Empowering First-Generation College Students: Building Community Cultural Wealth Through a Summer Bridge Program

• In Event: Research In Progress Roundtable Session 5
  In Invited Roundtable: Mentorship, Culture, and Engagement in Higher Education (Table 16)

Abstract

Despite its potential for upward mobility, higher education frequently remains a space of social reproduction for first-generation students. In response to the barriers first-generation students face entering and moving through higher education, some institutions offer summer bridge programs to assist students during their transition from high school into college. Summer bridge programs provide a structured format to initiate students into college, aimed at increasing students' networks and institutional knowledge. Using a community cultural wealth framework, this study plans to analyze triangulated data of pre/post surveys, ethnographic observation, and interviews of multiple actors from one summer bridge program. This study aims to explore the extent that various program actors develop various forms of capital in their served student population.

Author

• Rachael Dominguez, Florida State University