Mentorship in the Preparation and Careers of Black Women Technology Majors at HBCUs

The purpose of this dissertation in practice was to understand how women faculty and mentors influenced black women's career pathways in technology. The setting for this study was graduates from a 4-year public, mid-level university in North Florida, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. The exploratory study design was used through a qualitative case study to investigate outcomes associated with Black women's experiences of having a mentor or women instructor as an undergraduate in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) department at Florida A&M University (FAMU) selecting technology as a career choice. The study focus was measured through the experiences and perceptions of how women faculty and mentorship shape career pathways of CIS graduates. The analysis resulted in the identification of four a-prior codes with four additional themes becoming sub-themes, and two additional themes were identified in the coding cycles. Nine total themes were identified. Findings highlighted the importance women faculty and mentors had on Black women career pathways in technology. Implications discussed for FAMU CIS department were to expand career knowledge and opportunities, enhance mentorship for Black women and improve women hiring and visibility.