Maintaining Validation through Empathy: Exploring How Higher Education Practitioners Supported At-Promise Students during COVID-19

Abstract

At-promise students (low-income, first-generation college students, and/or racially minoritized) have long encountered disproportionate barriers in navigating higher education, resulting in disparate impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we examined how higher education practitioners in three comprehensive college transition programs facilitated the validation of at-promise students during the pandemic. By drawing upon empathy, practitioners engaged in critically reflective practice that allowed them to adapt previous strategies to the current context and provide key support.