Exploring College Pathways for Rural and First-Generation Students: Sociology Research in Action

This summer, Bingham Faculty Fellow and Assistant Sociology Professor Jasmine Whiteside presented her latest research at the Rural Sociological Society Conference in Salt Lake City and published two major articles that focus on the experiences of rural and first-generation college students. 

Her conference session, “Educational Aspirations, Rural Opportunities: Exploring the Role of Place and First-Generation Status on Educational Attainment,” focused on how students’ backgrounds shape their educational journeys. 

“At the Rural Sociology Conference, I shared the stories of six students from rural parts of the Midwest—some first-generation, some continuing-generation—whom I followed from freshman through senior year,” Whiteside explained. “Not all made it to senior year, which became an important part of the story.” 

Whiteside’s research highlights the critical role of support systems in student success. Students with access to mentors, financial resources, or parents with college experience often navigated college more easily, while first-generation and rural students faced unique challenges, including isolation and the steep learning curve of adjusting to university life. 

“I focused on sharing early findings and trends rather than drawing big conclusions,” Whiteside said. “Hearing feedback from professors, educators, and staff from other universities was incredibly helpful as I continue analyzing these stories.” 

Whiteside’s own experiences as a student shaped her research focus. A first-generation college student from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, she credits scholarship programs and mentorship for her success at the University of Southern Mississippi. She noticed many peers without similar resources struggled to find guidance—a gap she explores and addresses through her work. 

“I noticed pretty quickly that my friends who weren’t in the scholarship program had to work a lot harder to find basic resources—like figuring out how to make an appointment at the writing center,” she explained. “For me, those things were built in. I could just walk into someone’s office and ask. It wasn’t necessarily easy, but it was accessible.” 

When Whiteside attended graduate school at The Ohio State University, she became even more aware of disparities in student experiences, and this inspired her research further. For her master’s thesis, she interviewed rural first-generation students and realized how much outcomes vary depending on support, high school preparation, and available courses. 

Her current research zeroes in on the intersection of rural identity and first-generation status, with attention to how race and gender influence these experiences. Whiteside emphasizes the university’s role in supporting students from the start, noting that programs offering early mentorship and guidance can make a lasting impact—not just for students, but for their families as well. 

“What I’ve seen so far is that institutions can make a real difference through recruitment and by getting involved at the high school level,” Whiteside explained. “Programs that allow students to move in early, connect with mentors, or get guidance before the semester starts are incredibly valuable. They don’t just reassure the students—they reassure their parents, too, who may not know how to navigate the college process.” 

Through the Department of Sociology, students at the University of Louisville can explore these real-world issues, participate in research that impacts education policy, and work alongside faculty like Whiteside who are shaping the conversation around access and equity in higher education. 

Explore more of Jasmine Whiteside’s work: 

• Obtaining and Maintaining Support: First‐Generation Precarity and Structural Supports in Higher Education – Sociological Inquiry 
• First-Generation Inequalities, Adaptation, and Resilience – Sociological Forum 
• Becoming Academically Eligible: University Enrollment among First-Generation, Rural College Goers* - Rural Sociology