Dissertation Defense Announcement Ed.D. Program: Shareyna N. James, “ENGINEERING SISTERHOOD: EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCES OF BLACK WOMEN IN ENGINEERING AT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, A QUALITATIVE STUDY”

This qualitative study investigates the persistence of nine Black women pursuing undergraduate Engineering degrees at Rutgers University. Guided by Black Feminist Theory (Collins, 2000; Crenshaw, 1989), this study centers Black women’s lived experiences. It reveals how structural inequities, cultural barriers, and institutional support shape their academic journeys and how they navigate the intersections of race and gender (Harris & Patton, 2019). Data was collected through Sista Circles (Johnson, 2015), semi-structured interviews (Patton, 2015), and participant journaling (Ortlipp, 2008). Four themes emerged: (1) Hypervisibility and Invisibility, describing the paradox of being both overlooked and scrutinized in academic spaces; (2) Persistence as Resistance, emphasizing reliance on cultural, familial, and spiritual grounding; (3) Collective Care and Counterspaces, highlighting the value of access programs student organizations, cultural and campus centers and (4) Joy and Homeplace, illustrating how students build affirming spaces that foster their identity and resilience.

The findings suggest that Black women’s persistence is sustained through cultural strategies, counterspaces, and community care. These insights carry important implications: research must continue to center Black women’s ways of knowing, practice must embed culturally responsive advising, pedagogy, and support programs, and policy must tie accountability measures to equity outcomes in Engineering education. Ultimately, ensuring equity in Engineering education is not only a matter of representation but of justice, requiring institutions to dismantle systemic barriers rather than expect Black women to endure them. This research contributes to the growing scholarship on Black women in Engineering and demonstrates the need for institutions to implement actionable accountability measures that embed equity into pedagogy, advising, and policy. By centering the brilliance and persistence of Black women Engineers, this work calls for transforming Engineering education into a system that sustains Black women, rather than hinders their success.