A Culture of Success: Black Alumnae Discussions of the Assets-Based Approach at Spelman College

Some campuses are exemplars for best practices for racial inclusion in higher education, and they offer a vital opportunity to understand how to better include Black students. This critical life story analysis of Black college alumnae who graduate from a historically Black, women’s institution, Spelman College, demonstrates the importance of fostering success throughout a student’s college experience. The findings suggest that Spelman offered a deliberate and systematic culture of success from the beginning to the end of the women’s experiences offering lessons that could be adapted within other institutional types in order to foster the success of Black students.