When she comes back home she'll be changed: Experiences of nontraditional Appalachian female community college graduates

The majority of research on students' college experiences addresses experiences of traditional-aged students at 4-year institutions. Little is known about how nontraditional-aged, first-generation women from Appalachia experience life as a college student at the community college level. This study explored the lived college experiences of 11 nontraditional-aged women from Appalachia who graduated from a community college in Southern Ohio. Using phenomenological methodology, interview transcripts were analyzed by identifying recurrent themes relevant to the experiences of the women in college. Themes were used to develop individual portraits of the women and then the descriptions of the community of stories. Interviews with the women suggested that they had each experienced a life changing event that motivated them to pursue a college degree. Each woman needed to find a way to integrate her new life as a college student with her life at home and in her community. The women each experienced stress as they adjusted to the pressures of college life and attempted to incorporate a student identity into their existing identities of mother, caretaker, wife, and employee. Nonetheless, each woman began to believe in herself and her ability to achieve a college degree. They began to value themselves as individuals and expressed increased confidence and pride in themselves. Understanding the experiences of nontraditional-aged women in college will provide college administrators with the understanding they need to assist and create a network of faculty, staff, and peer support for older women in college and their families. This study will promote social change by helping to improve the lives of a marginalized group of women on a personal, social, and economic level.