Abstract
This study focused on how nontraditional African American women students (NAAWS) draw from community cultural wealth to persist in higher education. There has been an increase in NAAWS aged 25 and over starting and returning to college who work at least part-time and possess other responsibilities; however, this population is not graduating at an equivalent rate despite increases in enrollment. In addition to familial and personal obligations, NAAWS must adjust to learning environments and navigate institutional structures that may not be conducive to their learning or consider their presence on campus. Previous research focuses on institutional changes to improve retention rates, analyze the lack of academic success through a deficit lens, and aggregate findings for NAAWS with people of color and White women. Thus, the researcher conducted a qualitative narrative study to examine the positive community cultural wealth that successful NAAWS leverage to supplement institutional gaps and foster academic success. This study found that NAAWS draw from aspirational, linguistic, resistant, navigational, familial, and social capital to overcome persistence challenges. Based on the findings, the researcher suggests implications for leadership, practice, and policy to inform institutions on actions that can be implemented on campus that recognize the unique capital these women bring to their educational journeys.