THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJORS

National efforts have been made to increase STEM participation among racially marginalized individuals (Ro & Loya, 2015). However, women, especially African American women, remain underrepresented in STEM fields, particularly in engineering and computer science disciplines. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to understand the first-year experiences of African American women in engineering and computer science majors at a predominantly white institution (PWI). This study was guided by Strayhorn’s (2019) model of college students’ sense of belonging. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather in-depth insights into the participants’ experiences. The sample consisted of 8 African American women at a PWI in the Southeastern part of the United States. A thematic analysis approach was used for this study. Four major themes were identified: (1) intentionality in decision-making processes: identification of early experiences for STEM access, (2) messaging: parental “college-going expectations” vs. family “STEM major selection” influence, (3) psychosocial influencers of belonging in STEM, and (4) interpersonal agency toward socialization and engagement in STEM majors. The findings of this study provided insights into the unique challenges African American women face in their first year in engineering and computer science majors. The findings of this study suggest that institutions can significantly improve the experiences of African American women in STEM by implementing targeted strategies that address their unique challenges.