Career and Calling Circles: Spaces of Belonging for First-Year Underrepresented Students

This study describes first-year underrepresented college students' sense of belonging following participation in the initial cohort of All Rise, a Career and Calling Circle (CCC). While Restorative Practices, like the circle process, have emerged in response to addressing student disciplinary issues, little research exists regarding how these approaches could be applied to proactively contribute to a sense of belonging. Specifically, this emerging intervention leverages the career interests of underrepresented first-year students to create spaces that attempt to promote a sense of belonging. Understanding whether CCC contributed to the participants’ sense of belonging can assist career advisors and faculty in order to more fully support underrepresented students. Interview data revealed themes related not only to making their professional goals more tangible and increasing confidence to pursue those goals, but also providing a safe space to connect with others. This suggests that CCC positively influenced students' sense of belonging.