It is exciting to be able to highlight Anna Lora Taylor, our Program Officer, one of the authors of “Evaluation of an SCCT (Social Cognitive Career Theory)-Based Intervention to Increase Postsecondary Awareness in Rural Appalachian Youth”, an article published in the Journal of Career Development by Melinda M. Gibbons, Erin E. Hardin, Anna Lora Taylor, Emily Brown and Danielle Graham.
The abstract indicates that students being underrepresented in higher education often require unique support throughout their career and college planning. Rural Appalachian youth characterize a large population of underrepresented students. This article describes a theory-based multiweek career education curriculum aimed at increasing career and college readiness that was delivered to over 1,300 high school students in two rural Appalachian counties. Evaluation data from 867 of these students, as well as from the program staff, was collected. Findings suggest that participants found the intervention useful, learned new information about postsecondary planning and career exploration, and received assistance planning for their futures. Implications for school-based career education with underrepresented students are provided.
We are very proud of our Program Officer, Anna Lora Taylor, Ph.D., who joined the Women’s Fund in November of 2017. She understands the needs of low income women as evidenced in her dissertation, “The effect of adolescent-parent congruence on the college-decision making process of rural Appalachian youth”. We were fortunate to find someone with both the research ability and talent to launch our new network focused on access to education throughout our 25 county service area in East Tennessee.
