DIGEST - Volume 11, Issue 2

2 3 TPC Digest TPC Digest Read full article and references: Cabell, A. L., Brookover, D., Livingston, A., & Cartwright, I. (2021). “It’s never too late”: High school counselors’ support of underrepresented students’ interest in STEM. The Professional Counselor , 11 (2), 143–160. doi: 10.15241/alc.11.2.143 | TPC Digest T he science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in the United States comprise a large sector of the economy, and the demand for employees with STEM skill sets is a national priority. Choosing to major in STEM programs and pursue a career in a STEM field can lead to large job opportunities and high pay, but not all students have equitable opportunities to pursue careers in STEM. Black, Latinx, and Native American workers are underrepresented in STEM occupations compared to White and Asian workers; similarly, women are underrepresented in certain STEM fields. These disparities begin even in high school, with girls and underrepresented minorities being more likely to experience stereotype threat and less likely to be enrolled in advanced STEM coursework. Professional school counselors must address the inequities in opportunity for their students through targeted STEM career interventions. The purpose of the current study was to understand the experiences of high school counselors who support underrepresented students’ STEM career interests and the contexts that influence their support. Two research questions guided this inquiry: 1) What are the experiences of high school counselors who support girls’ and underrepresented minority students’ STEM interests and career aspirations? and 2) What contexts (including the COVID-19 pandemic) influence high school counselors’ support of girls’ and underrepresented minority students’ STEM interests and career aspirations? The researchers interviewed eight high school counselors and one college counselor in a high school; six of the participants identified as Black, two as White, and one as Mexican American/Chicano, and their experience ranged from 4 to 18 years. Four themes emerged from the participants’ interviews describing their experiences supporting the STEM interests of girls and underrepresented minority students, as well as the contexts which impact their ability to support these students. The first theme was professional knowledge of issues of diversity in STEM. All participants were aware of the lack of racial and gender diversity in STEM at the national level, and the participants saw this gap already in their high schools. The second theme was training related to the needs of underrepresented students in STEM. Here, the participants reflected on the formal and informal training opportunities they completed to effectively meet their students’ needs. Two of the participants shared their experiences with informal professional development groups with their colleagues or webinars focused on increasing diversity in STEM. However, seven of the nine participants were not able to discuss informal or formal training opportunities regarding STEM and underrepresented students. The third theme was active engagement in supporting underrepresented students’ STEM career interests. The school counselor participants described the roles they took to support students with STEM interests. These roles included providing exposure for students to STEM fields, building relationships to assist them in discovering STEM careers, and intentionally making sure underrepresented students had opportunities to participate in STEM initiatives and coursework. The fourth theme was barriers related to supporting underrepresented students’ STEM interests. COVID-19 lessened the participants’ ability to focus on STEM career initiatives, as they were dealing with distance and technology barriers. Some participants mentioned that their schools did not offer enough college readiness and STEM opportunities; a lack of anti-racist teaching was also a concern. Time and administrative tasks not related to the role of a school counselor impacted their ability to do STEM interventions. And finally, some students had low STEM self-efficacy, which might lead to the students writing off STEM careers as an option. Autumn L. Cabell, Dana Brookover, Amber Livingston, Ila Cartwright “It’s Never Too Late” High School Counselors’ Support of Underrepresented Students’ Interest in STEM | TPC Digest There are several implications for practice from this study. First, students may benefit from school counselors sharing more STEM bridge program opportunities, as well as other postsecondary options, such as apprenticeships. Next, even when schools are in virtual formats, there are opportunities for school counselors to connect students to virtual STEM internship experiences. School counselors can also collaborate and consult with local university and community college career services departments to learn more about STEM resources to share with students. School counselors should also ensure that the STEM course offerings at school are inclusive and anti-racist. The implications also extend to counselor educators and school administrators, who can both offer opportunities for and encourage school counseling students and school counselors to attend STEM- related professional development. The authors would like to thank and acknowledge the Virginia Counseling Association Foundation; and Lexi Caliendo and Kirsten Nozime for their feedback, which improved the quality of this study. Autumn L. Cabell, PhD, NCC, LPC, CCC, CCTP, is an assistant professor at DePaul University. Dana Brookover, PhD, NCC, is an assistant professor at the University of Scranton. Amber Livingston, MEd, is a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ila Cartwright, MEd, is a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Correspondence may be addressed to Autumn L. Cabell, DePaul University, 2247 N Halsted St., Rm. 246, Chicago, IL 60614, acabell@depaul.edu.