Intentional scaffolding of advising, mentoring, and wise intervention programming in the 1st year experience promotes student resilience in the face of a global pandemic: a case study of STEM student responses to college and COVID-19 stressors

In this research, we assessed the impacts of participation in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholars community built around the scaffolding of multiple strategies that fostered belonging and integrated the use of wise psychological interventions to enhance the experiences of college students who belong to groups that have been historically underrepresented in STEM. Wise interventions are small, psychological strategies that have been demonstrated to have a profound positive impact on student experiences and success in academic contexts. We found evidence that our STEM Scholars community encouraged the development of growth mindsets, helped our students experience meaningful inclusion and belonging in college, and facilitated students’ ability to connect their personal values and academic work. We also saw strong evidence that the structures we placed as part of their 1st year experience contributed to our students’ resilience in the face of the stressors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.