Dr. Ronda Gentry, the director of Tusculum College Center for Civic Advancement, recently returned from Barcelona, Spain, where she presented her research on first-generation Appalachian college students.
Dr. Gentry, along with two peers, gave the presentation in Barcelona for the International Leadership Association. The presentation was based on her dissertation research on first-generation, Appalachian college students. Her dissertation was titled, “Cross-Cultural Conversations and Community Leadership: Creating Pathways for First-Generation Appalachian Students and Colleges.”
The presentation examined the need for cross-cultural conversations between local communities and colleges in the development of student-strategies post cultural trauma. According to Dr. Gentry, the study brought together members of the Appalachian community, first-generation Appalachian students and members of the college community in cross-cultural conversation with the goal of the collective community discovering ways they could work together to improve college graduation rates of first-generation Appalachian college students.
Dr. Ronda Gentry
“The cross-cultural conversation resulted in new ideas for needed student services,” she said. “More important, however, is that this conversation demonstrates a process for community leadership in educational settings where power balances are restored and cooperation comes forth.”
According to Dr. Gentry, the presentation opportunity presented itself through her doctoral program at Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was then decided to develop the trip into an eight-day study aboard opportunity, which included 12 students and Dean of Arts and Sciences Wayne Thomas.
In addition to touring the city of Barcelona, Dr. Gentry’s presentation gave the students access to the conference, with opportunities to volunteer, as well as to attend lectures and interact with leadership experts from around the world.
By Kayla Freeman, freshman business major from Charleston, S.C.