Sara Robinsin, Giambattista Davis, & Joshua Hine

Undergraduate and graduate students alike often find themselves boxed into identities as insiders or outsiders in various social and academic contexts. While the importance of how students form these identities and the implications of how they develop a sense of belonging based on them is well documented (Maestas et al., 2007; Renn & Reason, 2013; Strayhorn, 2012), there are a number of student populations and social and academic contexts which remain to be studied. This panel will present initial findings from three qualitative research projects that utilized semi-structured interviews conducted remotely, as well as focus groups in one of the studies, to investigate issues surrounding student identity formation. Research questions specifically set out to analyze student identity as it relates to a sense of social and academic belongingness and institutional inclusiveness; selection of a major and career path, in which students are members of either historically underrepresented or overrepresented ethnic backgrounds; and self-perceptions, academic engagement, and career aspirations for self-defined social activists.

Zoom Link: https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/98603908909?pwd=NXg5cXZtbmU4RjZzaW9KaHV6WEt3UT09