Understanding How Key Institutional Agents Provide Southeast Asian American Students With Access to Social Capital in College

In this study, we focus on understanding how institutional agents can and do foster success among Southeast Asian American (SEAA) students in higher education. Specifically, qualitative methods were utilized to examine the experiences of 34 SEAA undergraduate students at 5 public 4-year colleges and universities across the United States and understand the characteristics of institutional agents that helped SEAA students access social capital in college. The findings reveal that institutional agents who (a) shared common ground with their SEAA students, (b) humanized the educational experience, (c) espoused proactive philosophies, and (d) modeled a passion for learning and success positively influenced participants' access to social capital in college.