Proposal Title
The Invisible 25%: Navigating College as a Student-Parent
Abstract
Over one quarter of all undergraduate students in the U.S. (close to five million) are raising dependent children. Despite this high number, student-parents remain relatively invisible on college campuses, particularly private four-year institutions like Lesley University. This panel seeks to challenge this invisibility, connecting a range of Lesley students, faculty, and staff in a discussion about their shared experiences as current or former student-parents. This panel will highlight their diverse intersectional identities and shed light on how they navigated obstacles as well as found work-life balance and academic /professional success. While sharing individual stories and increasing the visibility of student-parents as key members of our community is central to this panel, it also has an action component that aligns well with the university’s commitment to social justice. In the end, panelists will engage in an open-ended discussion with the audience to critically examine how Lesley can be more inclusive of students with children as well as develop programming and resources to better support their needs on their pathway to graduation and beyond. This panel encourages the community to reimagine what a “traditional” college student is, to rethink the university as a place that welcomes and acknowledges parental status as an important identity marker, and, lastly, to consider the radical possibilities of Lesley should it choose to prioritize this issue and become an innovative leader in supporting the growing population of student-parents.
Start Date
27-3-2019 9:00 AM
End Date
27-3-2019 9:50 AM
Room Number
U-Hall 3-094
Presentation Type
Panel
Disciplines
Adult and Continuing Education | Curriculum and Instruction | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Gender Equity in Education | Higher Education | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Student Counseling and Personnel Services
The Invisible 25%: Navigating College as a Student-Parent
Over one quarter of all undergraduate students in the U.S. (close to five million) are raising dependent children. Despite this high number, student-parents remain relatively invisible on college campuses, particularly private four-year institutions like Lesley University. This panel seeks to challenge this invisibility, connecting a range of Lesley students, faculty, and staff in a discussion about their shared experiences as current or former student-parents. This panel will highlight their diverse intersectional identities and shed light on how they navigated obstacles as well as found work-life balance and academic /professional success. While sharing individual stories and increasing the visibility of student-parents as key members of our community is central to this panel, it also has an action component that aligns well with the university’s commitment to social justice. In the end, panelists will engage in an open-ended discussion with the audience to critically examine how Lesley can be more inclusive of students with children as well as develop programming and resources to better support their needs on their pathway to graduation and beyond. This panel encourages the community to reimagine what a “traditional” college student is, to rethink the university as a place that welcomes and acknowledges parental status as an important identity marker, and, lastly, to consider the radical possibilities of Lesley should it choose to prioritize this issue and become an innovative leader in supporting the growing population of student-parents.
