| The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of first-year, first-generation minority students who participated in a pre-college summer bridge program before the start of their first semester in college. Specifically, the study explored the experiences of the students and how the social and academic preparation in the program affected their persistence from freshman to sophomore year.;By means of phenomenology, the sample was purposefully selected to include five to eight collegiate students attending a public, urban, historically Black college or university on the east coast. The university has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students. The researcher conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews to gain an understanding of common themes among the participants experiencing this phenomenon.;The study identified, documented and highlighted the strengths and perceived areas of weakness of the summer bridge program. Within the study, and outlined in the current literature, are detailed strategies and interventions used in summer bridge programs that directly affect first-generation minority student persistence. Resiliency Theory formed the theoretical framework that guided both the literature review and research question.;In order for this phenomenon to be examined, there was a central research question employed: How does a summer bridge program contribute to the resilience of first-generation African American students and to their increased likelihood of persistence in higher education? Keywords: HBCU, college, persistence, academic, resiliency, first-generation, minority, summer bridge programs, pre-college. |
