Catholic Women’s College Students’ Constructions of Identity: Influence of Faculty and Staff on Students’ Personal and Professional Self-Understanding

Abstract

This article investigates the influence of faculty and staff on women student’s constructions of their personal and professional identities. Situated in two Catholic women’s colleges, this qualitative study analyzes the ways in which in-class and out-of-class interactions among students, faculty, and staff helped students envision their future intentions. Students described ways in which college personnel served as career role models, modeled a work/family balance, and advised them as they planned for their futures. This study’s implications for the empowerment of women at both Catholic women’s colleges and nonreligiously affiliated coeducational institutions relate to the benefits of college personnel who model a personal and professional life balance, the need to consider both service and leadership in learning experiences, and the ways in which Catholic women’s institutions articulate their missions to students.