Deeds and Words: Impacts of Gendered Advocacy Organization Involvement on Student Career Development
Date of Award
3-2026
Culminating Project Type
Dissertation
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Higher Education Administration: Ed.D.
Department
Educational Administration and Higher Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Rachel Friedensen
Second Advisor
Teresa Boyer
Third Advisor
Emeka Ikegwuonu
Fourth Advisor
Jennifer Jones
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Feminist Identity, Career Development, College Student Involvement, Gender Advocacy, Skill Development
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the impact that college student involvement in feminist/gender advocacy clubs or organizations has on the student’s professional/career development. While there are decades of significant research on feminist identities, college student activism, and college student career development individually, the combined intersection of these three areas has yielded little study. I sought to answer the following research questions: What motivates students to participate in feminist/gender advocacy clubs and organizations? How do student members of feminist/gender advocacy clubs/organizations describe their career development/professional goals presently versus when they initially joined the organization? How does involvement in feminist/gender advocacy organizations change members’ academic and professional goals?
Using both constructivist grounded theory and feminist grounded theory, I developed the Constructing Careers Through Feminist Advocacy Model, detailing the cyclical development of feminist engagement with career growth, developed out of the data collected from interviews with eleven participants. Participants overwhelmingly detailed the ways in which these organizations have empowered them and been a safe space for them to explore their identity. For most students, their career choices did not change. However, students felt that they developed significant interpersonal skills that will be of benefit to them in their future careers. For a student involved in these organizations, time and experience (both in these organizations and within other co/extra-curricular organizations on campus) led to further career exploration and exposure to their chosen field.
Recommended Citation
Hilferty, Casey, "Deeds and Words: Impacts of Gendered Advocacy Organization Involvement on Student Career Development" (2026). Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration. 108.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/hied_etds/108
Comments/Acknowledgements
DEDICATION
I dedicate this dissertation to the generations of feminists who came before me, and to the generations of feminists who come after me.
May we always persist.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to my advisor and chairperson, Dr. Rachel Friedensen, for your guidance, humor, and sharing your knowledge and encouragement during my entire doctoral journey.
Thank you to my committee members, Dr. Teresa Boyer, Dr. Emeka Ikegwuonu, and Dr. Jennifer Jones, for your thoughtful feedback and constant support during the dissertation process.
Thank you to my fellow SCSU cohort members for making an online program feel like a community.
Thank you to my colleagues for supporting my doctoral journey and all stages of the research process.
Thank you to my spouse, Kevin Miller, who has always supported my goals of new educational heights.
Thank you to Guinness and Tayto, who snored through every class but provided constant love and presence the way only dogs can.