Memorable Everyday Events in College: Narratives of the Intersection of Ethnicity and Academia

The purpose of this study was to bring together research on youth's developing life stories and research on ethnic variations in educational experiences by exploring diverse students' narratives of ethnicity-related college experiences. A total of 280 college students attending a public university in California recounted a story about a time in which they felt their ethnicity played a role in the academic experiences. Six main themes were identified among the event narratives: learning about culture, sharing culture, experience of prejudice, difficult dialogues, awareness of diversity, and support and connection. The frequency of these themes varied by ethnic group, which suggests that college students from different ethnic backgrounds face different issues pertaining to the intersection of ethnicity and academics and thus face unique experiences and challenges that must be integrated into their life stories.