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Abstract
Two-year post-secondary institutions such as community and technical colleges continue to serve as the primary pathway into higher education for men of color (Bush & Bush, 2010). 71% of Black and Latino men begin their experiences in public postsecondary education at a community or technical college (Wood, Harris, & White 2015). The belief is that these institutions will foster upward social and economic mobility and are uniquely positioned to help create new life opportunities for Black men, their families, and their communities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to highlight the lived experiences of Black men who have graduated from a technical college. Improvements in degree completion rates for Black men has positive implications including a better quality of life for this population along with the potential for greater contributions to the socio-economic prosperity in our communities.
Eight self-identified Black men who have graduated from a technical college participated in this study. The development of the interview protocols were guided by Patton’s (2002) and Kruger’s (1997) question types that reflect on experience and behavior. By using guiding questions, I was able to explore the lived experiences of Black men and understand the factors that influenced their success. The guiding questions were: (1) Why do Black men decide to attend a two-year technical college? (2) How would they describe their overall college experience? (3) What forces or factors do Black men who have graduated from a technical college credit for their success? (a) What internal or familial forces were most beneficial to their college experience? (b) What institutional or external forces were most beneficial to their college experience? These questions helped to analyze the participants’ experiences that were under study. Their perspective has the potential to give us a broader, more holistic view which may fuel opportunities for further research on student success within technical education. Finally, institutional characteristics such as having engaged instructors, small class sizes, a diverse student body, and a welcoming campus environment all emerged from this study as findings geared towards maximizing the academic potential for Black men who enroll in technical colleges.