ALUMNI: Rachael Stewart focuses on bringing belonging to higher education
An alumna of the San Diego State University’s PK-12 educational leadership Ed. D. program, Rachael Stewart chose to continue her educational journey as a faculty scholar. Now, she’s helping to foster the growth of SDSU’s Black community by utilizing her expertise in leadership, education and inclusion.
Her role as a Faculty Scholar includes directing and teaching in the academic and career programs for the Black Resource Center (BRC), located under the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity. She also teaches the exploring leadership class for the College of Education’s leadership bachelor's degree program.
“It’s a place that students call a 'home away from home,' find personal and educational support, celebrate culture and have fun,” Stewart said of the BRC. “At the center and focus of these programs is belonging. Students feel as though they belong to a community within the bigger realm of the university. Because they feel connectedness to a campus community, they thrive and succeed, knowing that they're supported.”
Working at SDSU has expanded Stewart's journey in education, moving from elementary education to becoming a role model for college students. She serves as program director of the Henrietta Goodwin Scholars (HGS) program, which supports the success of first and second-year Black students at SDSU. Stewart made a goal to “make students feel like they are in a place to succeed and have the necessary tools and support systems in place for them to advance academically, personally and professionally.”
The HGS program was built to assist students in creating community alongside navigating their academic and career goals, offering resources and tools to further success in areas ranging from academics to economic development.
“It fosters that environment for belonging but also building community within the larger SDSU community,” Stewart said. “It helps students get acclimated to student life, navigate their academic journeys, and feel comfortable and confident in their future aspirations.”
The first cohort of students in the program graduated in the Spring of 2023 with a 100% graduation rate — 80% earned a degree in four years.
As a faculty scholar in the Black Resource Center, Stewart also directs SDSU’s Harold K. Brown Education and Empowerment Program. This program assists in cultivating career and professional development alongside economic development and community building throughout the Black student population.
“It’s a place to also get support from Black faculty, staff and professionals who they otherwise don’t see through their classes,” Stewart said. “It’s really changed student lives in that we are a hub for so many different organizations across campus. We collaborate with so many different resource centers because we do have multi-ethnic students within the Black Resource Center and (diverse) identities. So it’s a program where upper-division students can receive the foundational teaching and resources for their career aspirations and life after college.”
Stewart said her main goal in directing the program is to help students navigate the transition from students to professionals. That includes career/professional content surrounding, resume, interview skills, public speaking and networking.
“Marginalized students face challenges and barriers navigating their academic journeys," she said. "And even when students successfully navigate these barriers and graduate from college, they encounter new barriers as they transition into careers which limit them from access to high-quality jobs after college graduation and opportunities to upward social mobility. This program dismantles that.”
In her first year in this position, the program enrollment doubled from 60 students to 130.
For the past two years, Stewart has hosted the first Black Career Fair at SDSU, assisting students in navigating the career world while finding the opportunities that are right for them.
“You can’t see what you don’t see," she said. "Coming from a woman's perspective, if I’m always seeing male execs in business, how am I supposed to see myself in that in the future? In the same way, if I don't see representation — if I don't see someone Black/African American identifying in any single organization — how can I see myself there?”
In March, Stewart reached another milestone — becoming a published author. Alongside Dominique Smith and SDSU Educational Leadership faculty members Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and Vincent Pompei, Stewart published the book "Belonging in School: Creating a Place Where Kids Want to Learn and Teachers Want to Stay."
“More than ever, belonging is a must in educational institutions. The domains mentioned in the book outline key points that students and educators need to thrive and succeed” said Stewart, who added that a future book centered around belonging in higher education is in the works.
As a mother and as an educator, Stewart has become passionate about belonging in schools. She now draws motivation from both her own experiences in the K-12 system, and also from seeing what her three Black sons — two currently in elementary school and one in middle school — have experienced.
Stewart says that her time in the College of Education helped empower her to be the high-education difference-maker she is today.
“I will say the environment within the College of Education exudes positivity and coming together in unity and student advocacy,” she said. “If I wanted to advocate for a student initiative on campus, I know the College of Education would understand. That’s what's so wonderful about education —the field is rich in its understanding towards diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
"And when executed by the educators in the classrooms, administrators and institutions, the impact is beautiful.”
