2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This empirical research brief presents a study investigating how the Making to Advance Knowledge, Excellence, and Recognition in STEM (MAKERS) program supports academically talented students from low-income backgrounds at a private Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the southeastern region of the United States. Funded by the National Science Foundation, MAKERS is a multi-institutional initiative structured around three core pillars: mentoring and community, professional development, and learning with purpose. The study examines how these pillars influence students’ STEM identity, sense of belonging, and persistence in engineering.

Data were collected between 2023 and 2025 through virtual focus groups and electronic surveys, capturing the experiences of engineering students participating in the MAKERS program and their non-participating peers. These data were collected as part of a larger grant aimed at revealing effective strategies to support low-income STEM students’ success at HBCUs.

Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts revealed that while students recognized their institution’s academic, financial, and professional support, accessing these resources often required proactive self-advocacy. Students emphasized the importance of initiating contact, following up on communications, and independently seeking opportunities. Relationships with faculty, mentors, and peers were consistently cited as critical for navigating opportunities and maintaining motivation. Participation in MAKERS and other STEM initiatives were highlighted as key in fostering confidence, leadership, and a sense of belonging to support students' academic and career success. Survey findings further demonstrated that MAKERS scholars reported more positive and engaged experiences than their non-MAKERS peers, particularly in faculty interactions, resource utilization, and sense of belonging. In contrast, non-MAKERS students described encountering more barriers and inconsistent support, underscoring the value of structured scholarship programs in fostering student success.

Guided by theories of STEM identity development and sociocultural persistence, this study contributes to engineering education research by offering a theoretically grounded and empirically rich account of how institutional supports shape student outcomes at an HBCU. The integration of qualitative and quantitative methods highlights the utility of mixed methods approaches for evaluating program impact and informing scalable models for inclusive STEM education.

Keywords: Historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs), academic support, retention, mentoring, student experiences