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Cultivating Connections: Toward a Framework for Equity in Social Capital Development in College and Career Pathways
No full textThe attention on college and career pathways over the last decade has revitalized interest in key activities like early career exploration, work-based learning, and labor market alignment of career and technical education. One essential element of this work, and perhaps among the most critical, has not received as much attention. Research shows that social capital—the relationships and networks an individual has and their ability to build, leverage, and mobilize them— is often how people get access to new information and educational and career opportunities; however, it is not something that most school systems have made an explicit priority for preparing students for postsecondary education and career. Given the continued underrepresentation of certain student groups (BIPOC, first generation, low income) in both postsecondary education and high-wage, high- demand careers, there is an equity imperative to systemically integrate purposeful social capital development into pathways, ensuring that all students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, networks, and access to opportunities to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through two years of direct work with ten communities across the United States, Education Strategy Group (ESG) has developed a three-phase implementation framework for how educational leaders can prioritize and implement social capital development in their college and career pathways, along with key lessons informed by focus groups conducted with each community. We discuss lessons learned through this work, introduce the framework and anchor tools, and outline opportunities for broader adoption and scale
Student Supports for Achieving College and Career Readiness
No full textSchool community members help to foster students’ college-going mindsets by creating and facilitating a college-going culture within the school. Based on our findings of a school district composed of a majority ethnically and racially diverse student body, we found the district to be successful in promoting social capital by way of a school stakeholder community. The school stakeholders leveraged social capital to promote a college and career going culture within the context of career pathway programs. This culture promoted a sense of belonging where students felt supported in achieving their goals of being college and career ready. Most notably, the district relied on a dedicated college and career readiness lynchpin that provided frequent and ongoing critical conversations with students about their futures and exposed them to opportunities and a network of supportive adults who could support them in achieving their individual goals
Professional Pathways in Business: The Role of Social Capital for Latinx Students
No full textLatina/os currently represent one of the most significant contributors to the United States economy, possessing $3.78 trillion in purchasing power. Despite constituting the second largest demographic group in the nation, Latinx representation in business graduate programs and corporate leadership positions, including board memberships, remains below 5%. As Latinx enrollment and graduation rates in higher education have consistently increased over the past decade, it has become increasingly imperative to examine how Hispanic-Serving Institutions can more effectively support Latinx students in their transition from academic to professional careers in business. This study investigates the impact of initiatives implemented by one Hispanic-Serving Institution to establish supportive structures that enhance professional self-concepts and aspirations for career advancement among undergraduate students. The findings indicate that a climate of inclusivity, exposure to Latinx role models in professional positions, and participation in small-scale networking events were predictive factors for increased interest in the business field and pursuit of graduate degrees in business
Interview with Jacob Pinney-Johnson
Get PDFJacob Pinney-Johnson was interviewed as part of SHARE’s Reparations in the Black World oral history collection which was developed in partnership with the students in a Black Reparations course at Western Michigan University. Mr. Pinney-Johnson was interviewed by Jayvon Smith and Ivan McHerron Jr., students in the aforementioned course. During the interview, Mr. Pinney discussed the following topics: How his family have been civil rights activists in Kalamazoo for over 100 years; His great grandmother being on the executive committee for the Michigan Manual for Freedman’s Progress; His father, president of the youth chapter of the NAACP, helping lead the Van Avery Drug Store Boycott; The Fatherhood Network; Racial wealth disparities; How he has personally experienced racism and discrimination Workforce development; Environmental Justice; His life goals and purpose; His thoughts on reparations Kalamazoo’s racist past, and; Kalamazoo County’s unfulfilled resolution on economic reparations.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reparations/1003/thumbnail.jp
Food, Design & Desire
Get PDFThe research presented in Food, Design, and Desire examines the impactful role of interior design in shaping the connection between humans and food, with a focus on fine dining environments. Grounded by the thesis, the ideal dining experience creates a profound connection to oneself and the environment around you. This project investigates how built environments influence diners’ emotional and physical experiences, enhancing their intimacy with food. The research addresses the interplay between space, desire, and the human relationship with culinary experiences, aiming to develop design strategies that increase customer retention and deepen the human connection to food.
This project utilizes contextual methods, including surveys to explore why people dine out, expert interviews to understand the business dynamics of fine dining, and precedent studies of notable dining spaces to identify effective design strategies. Researching topics in gastronomy and the rituals of dining to analyze the psychological, sensory, and spatial needs of diners. Key areas of focus include the relationship between space and culinary presentation, the psychological needs of diners in fine dining contexts, and the operational and branding challenges faced by fine dining businesses, particularly how branding influences perception, creates emotional connections, and shapes the overall dining experience.
Findings reveal that strategic design can significantly enhance the dining experience by strengthening emotional engagement, improving customer satisfaction, and creating lasting connections between diners and food. This project explores how emphasizing human connection and emotional intimacy within the dining industry can enhance customer retention and redefine the ideal dining experience
The Practice of Perfect Mistakes
Get PDFCheryl VanderMolen Neway, a fashion designer and textile artist residing in Fairfax, Virginia, provided the cover art for the Fall 2025 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). The photograph features a flowing, floor-length duster jacket entitled, The Free Spirit, 2024, made from an upcycled denim jacket with lace and hand-dyed linen, using shibori and indigo-dyeing techniques, modeled by Shamola Crosbie. Cheryl’s designs serve to express emotion, meet her need for creative exploration, and empower her community through fashion. Using resist-dyeing techniques paired with upcycled textiles and salvaged materials, she creates vibrantly unique clothing and mixed-media artwork featured in fashion shows, art fairs, gallery exhibitions, and boutiques, including her own. While immersed in the process of sewing patchwork dresses decades ago, she developed the ability to reframe struggles as opportunities for breakthroughs. A serendipitous sewing project held a valuable lesson that led her to coin the name for her business, Perfect Mistakes. The name fostered a growth mindset that continues to inspire her to navigate life with optimism, authenticity, and innovation. Cheryl’s creative occupation has helped her to heal from her past, develop meaningful relationships, and develop supportive learning environments filled with opportunities to lean into the unexpected
Interview with Jordan Michael Morseu
Get PDFInterview with Jordan Michael Morseau as part of the Empowering Indigenous Futures Project. During the interview, Jordan discusses the following topics: Public school (K-12) education on Native American history; Local relationships between the Pokagon band Pottowatami and their surrounding community of Dowagiac; Relationship between the federal government and Native governments; Native storytelling and cultural learning.
Additional files include full transcription.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/indigenous-futures/1006/thumbnail.jp
Looking At and Through Language: The Visuality of Text in Early Medieval England
No full textThis essay examines the ways in which writing was presented as something both to be looked at and read through in tenth- and eleventh-century England. Using the Old English glosses of the Lindisfarne and MacRegol Gospels as reference points, the essay considers the ways in which the medium of writing was interrogated in related and contemporary manuscripts. Scribes and artists were concerned not only to demonstrate fluency and sophistication through their scripts, but also concerned to consider how writing represented orthodoxy and mediated the human relationship with the divine
