Graduation Year

2025

Date of Defense

2-2-2025

Degree Name

Doctorate in Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership

Department

School of Education and Human Development

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

William Johnson

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of a university-sponsored internship program on the social capital and career aspirations of low-income, traditionally underrepresented associate degree students. The study used a qualitative, phenomenological approach, employing semistructured interviews to explore how the program influences students’ perceptions of their social networks and career paths. The research examined whether and to what extent university interventions might effectively bridge existing social capital gaps for students from low socioeconomic households. The study also considered the role of various forms of capital, such as aspirational and resistant capital, in shaping students’ experiences and outcomes.

The results of this study have implications for those, particularly universities, seeking to boost social capital and to ensure that students, regardless of backgrounds, have access to advice and connections that can provide encouragement, improve self-efficacy, expand one’s understanding of career opportunities and routes of preparation, and ultimately enhance postgraduate outcomes. While there is truth to the adage “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know,” this study supported that it is also true who one knows informs what one decides to become.

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