DSS Carolina Cultivation Advancing Narratives Speaker Series: Whose Culture Has Capital? Let’s Talk About Class In The Academy

Ten years ago, then President Barack Obama sought to increase the college completion rate to 60% for students between the ages of 25-34 by 2020. At present, the United States is so woefully behind that this goal is not likely to be achieved until 2041. Students from economically challenged, working-class, and lower-middle class backgrounds are primary groups not making it through higher education, and often face the challenge of also being first-generation college students. This talk will address current scholarship on economically challenged college students interwoven with the speaker’s personal journey from the working class as a first-generation college student to doctoral degree holder. We will also discuss how selective institutions can use frameworks such as Dr. Tara Yosso’s cultural wealth model to create an environment where students are affirmed in their backgrounds and are valued.

Shonda Goward, Ed.D. is the Director for Academic Success for the Carolina Covenant, which provides a debt free education to UNC students that qualify. She is an award-winning administrator with nearly 15 years of experience in higher education. Her current research focuses on low-income student academic success and well-being.  She currently serves as the co-Chairperson of the Socioeconomic and Class Issues Knowledge Community for NASPA. Dr. Goward received her Ed.D. from The George Washington University, M.A. from Southern Connecticut State University, and B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.