New Books at the Rohrbach Library: Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has robbed college students of countless sacred, rite-of-passage experiences long taken for granted, a blow compounded by this country's political upheaval. "COVID Chronicles" started as a blog assignment in a Media Writing class and became a raw, gripping look at the impact of the pandemic on young adults - written in their own words as they navigated the all-online fall 2020 semester. Students shared heartfelt stories of fear, despair, anger - and - on occasion - hope. One struggled to see a way out of his depression. Another was afraid to leave her home and isolated herself from friends and family. One lived through a grandmother's COVID-19 diagnosis. And one, adopted from Korea as a baby, wrote about feeling staring, blaming eyes on her, as if she were somehow responsible for the virus. But there were uplifting posts too, including one student who was thankful for his isolated and safe mountaintop home and another who savored family time that otherwise wouldn't have happened. If you wonder how this pandemic is impacting our college students, "COVID Chronicles" will leave you wondering no more, and wanting to help them.

Former First Lady, Michelle Obama believes that every individual should have some type of postsecondary education or training beyond high school to achieve economic and personal success (Reach Higher Initiative, Better Make Room, 2019). Educational attainment (e.g., a high school diploma, college degree, or postsecondary training) provides career opportunities for advancement into leadership positions and benefits such as health insurance and retirement (Heckman, 2000). Additionally, an individual with a college degree can make over one million dollars more over a lifetime in salary than someone with a high school diploma (Carnevale, Cheah, & Hanson, 2015). Acquiring a college degree can lead to employment opportunities and is considered an asset in the U.S. economy (Washington, 2010). However, certain populations encounter barriers to attaining an education, particularly a postsecondary education, leading to a disparity in receiving the aforementioned benefits. Some of these populations include African American students, LGBTQ students, and students with disabilities. There is a dearth of information and research on providing guidance on implementation, research, and best practices in equity-based career development, college readiness, and successful postsecondary transitions for minoritized, at risk, or vulnerable populations. The editors of this volume invited authors with research and practice expertise around various student populations in preparing them for college and career readiness as well as postsecondary transitions. This book is the first of its kind to discuss career development and postsecondary transitions from an access and equity perspective. Further, this text serves as a call to action to ensure the United States' most vulnerable populations has an opportunity to successfully transition into multiple postsecondary options after high school.