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Using the framework of servingness as conceptualized in research of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI), measures of student’s success can be characterized using academic and non-academic outcomes (i.e. liberatory outcomes). Academic outcomes are commonly institutional quantitative measures such as GPA, time to graduation, retention, etc. However, within the framework of servingness of an institution, there are additional indicators, including identifying the experiences of students and their non-academic outcomes. A self-advocacy professional development program has been developed that focuses on non-academic outcomes of PhD graduate students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs at an Urban R1 HSI. Self-advocacy originates from the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Learning Disabilities (LD) communities for effective counseling that promotes academic success and is based on a social justice framework. The pillars of the self-advocacy program are centered on (i) Empowerment, (ii) Promoting self-awareness and (iii) Social Justice and the programming is aligned to these three pillars. An overview of the project evaluation and focus group findings for the program are presented. 

This work in progress paper outlines the initial evaluation results for a professional development program that is focused on strengthening self-advocacy among historically minoritized graduate students in science, engineering, technology and math (STEM). The program’s framework for self-advocacy is adapted from existing frameworks developed by the American Counseling Association and the Learning Disabilities communities to educate students on skills that support academic success. The American Counseling Association (ACA) published the Advocacy Competencies between the three areas of client/student, school/community, and public arena advocacy as part of their guidelines for effective counseling of minoritized students (Lewis, Arnold et al. 2002, Toporek and Daniels 2018) and is based on a social justice framework (Ratts and Hutchins 2009). The three skills with self-advocacy are: empowerment or a sense of agency (having control over decisions and life events), strong self-awareness (knowing what is right for oneself and setting goals based on this criteria), and social justice (knowing how to identify and challenge negative social climates and systems of oppression) (Test, Fowler et al. 2010). Within the different forms of practicing and teaching advocacy, working with students by teaching them the skills within a counselor and student or mentor and student group structure was found to help minoritized students reach academic success (Dowden 2009, Ratts and Hutchins 2009, Roberts, Ju et al. 2016). 

This project explores the leadership beliefs, experiences, and knowledge/skills of undergraduate engineering students who have self-identified as having leadership experience at a Research I minority serving institution for Asian Americans and Native Americans, as well as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Thirty-two undergraduate engineering students with self-identified leadership experience were recruited from the College of Engineering across the various majors. In this paper, the perspective of how students described their self-identities and the emerging categories of negative leadership experiences that act as external stressors is presented and discussed specifically for the students that identified as belonging to an underrepresented minority group, including those that were multiracial. The research illustrates how nuances need to be explored to understand how intersectionality of critical race theory with feminist theory increases the complexity of creating an inclusive logic model that can be incorporated into a theory of change that increases academic and professional success of engineers as future leaders within an organization. 

This project explores the leadership beliefs, experiences, and knowledge/skills of undergraduate engineering students who have self-identified as having leadership experience at a Research I minority serving institution for Asian Americans and Native Americans, as well as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Thirty-two undergraduate engineering students with self-identified leadership experience were recruited from the College of Engineering across the various majors. In this paper, the perspective of how students described their self-identities and the emerging categories of negative leadership experiences that act as external stressors is presented and discussed specifically for the students that identified as belonging to an underrepresented minority group, including those that were multiracial. The research illustrates how nuances need to be explored to understand how intersectionality of critical race theory with feminist theory increases the complexity of creating an inclusive logic model that can be incorporated into a theory of change that increases academic and professional success of engineers as future leaders within an organization. 

This work in progress discusses an NSF sponsored project that explores the leadership beliefs, experiences, and knowledge/skills of undergraduate engineering students who have self-identified as having leadership experience at a Research I minority serving institution (MSI) for Asian Americans and Native Americans, as well as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Thirty-two undergraduate engineering students with self-identified leadership experience were recruited from the College of Engineering at the MSI across the various majors. In this paper, the perspective of how students described their self-identities and the emerging categories of negative leadership experiences is presented and discussed. The research illustrates how nuances need to be explored to understand how intersectionality increases the complexity of creating an inclusive logic model that can be incorporated into a theory of change that increases academic and professional success of engineers as future leaders within an organization.