Date of Award

Spring 5-14-2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education/Higher Education PhD

Abstract

The Cost of Leadership: Giving Voice to the Experience of Student Leaders of Color at Predominantly White Institutions

August 2025

Gustavo F. Burkett, B.S., The University of Maine

M.Ed., The University of Maine

Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Boston

Directed by Professor Tara Parker

The way many predominantly white institutions (PWIs) have positioned cultural student organizations as representations of campus diversity, often disguises the complex, racialized burdens carried by the organization’s student leaders. Leadership roles held by students of color are embedded in administrative structures not built with their identities in mind. This study explored the intersection of race, institutional culture, and student leadership to better understand the experiences of student leaders of color leading cultural organizations at PWIs. Guided by Critical Race Theory and Leadership Development theory, and grounded in a phenomenological framework, this qualitative study explores how race affects leadership expectations, identity development, emotional wellbeing, and perceptions of institutional climate.

Through in-depth interviews with student leaders from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, this study highlighted the burden placed on them by their institutions and administrators who often relied on these students to educate others, advocate for change, and represent their broader communities, often at a significant personal cost. Students were frequently expected to be cultural representatives, institutional resources, and support systems for their communities, all while navigating racially isolating climates and inequitable institutional structures. Four core themes emerged: pressure to represent and speak on behalf of their entire communities (“Like I’m MLK”); addressing the challenged and barriers student leaders of color encounter at PWIs (“Hey, We Are a Diverse School”); the critical role of cultural groups as spaces of support, cultural identity exploration, and community building (“I Don’t Think Anyone Else Would Understand”); and the academic and emotional toll of leadership (“This Feels Like an Unpaid Job”).

Findings revealed a deep disconnect between institutional descriptions of inclusion and the lived experiences of student leaders of color. The study contributes to existing literature by offering a more nuanced representation of students of color leadership, accounting for both the resilience and exhaustion embedded in these roles. The study also brought attention to two important sources of student leaders of color burnout: institutional neglect and the internalized sense of responsibility they felt toward their cultural communities. Implications for institutional policy, administrative support, and future research underscored the urgent need to move beyond symbolic inclusion and toward structural adjustments and accountability in supporting student leaders of color.

Comments

Free and open access to this Campus Access Thesis is made available to the UMass Boston community by ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. Those not on campus and those without a UMass Boston campus username and password may gain access to this thesis through Interlibrary Loan. If you have a UMass Boston campus username and password and would like to download this work from off-campus, click on the “Off-Campus Users” button.

Download

Share

COinS