Outsiders Within

Educators are dedicated to providing opportunities for access and success during student transitions from the secondary to post-secondary levels and beyond. Therefore, there are support programs in place for students who are transitioning to college. However, for many reasons, the transition process and necessary supports for first generation female students who opt to attend community college are sometimes minimized or misunderstood. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative case study is two-fold: to gain a clear and authentic understanding of the high school to community college transitional supports needed by African American females who are also first generation college students, and to offer practical ways to improve upon existing transitional supports offered to this population of community college students so that they are empowered to succeed during their transition and at the community college level. In addition, the theoretical framework of Black feminism, specifically Patricia Hill Collins’ concept of the outsider within, is utilized to understand the general standpoint of the African American female who is impacted by the intersection of race, gender, and socioeconomics.