The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of former McNair Program participants at a regional postsecondary institution in northeast Tennessee. More specifically, the study examined how past participants of a McNair Program perceived their program experiences related to their post-undergraduate educational endeavors and career pursuits. Although research has been conducted on McNair Programs, no research has been conducted on the lived experiences of individuals who participated in a McNair Program in northeast Tennessee within the last two decades, and little to no research has been conducted to identify the program components that former participants believe benefitted them in their post-undergraduate academic and career pursuits. This research involved interviews with ten former participants of a McNair Program at a university in northeast Tennessee. Participants described their experiences as they related to three key phases in their lives: their undergraduate years, their post-undergraduate academic experiences, and their post-undergraduate professional experiences. They shared how participating in the McNair Program provided them with opportunities to develop their academic skills, connect with students from similar backgrounds, and learn more about graduate school. Participants spoke positively about the summer trip offered to them at the end of the pre-research internship as well as the support they received from program facilitators and mentors that encouraged them to persist. They described the rigorous pacing and increased pressure to succeed as disadvantages of the program. Participants also commented on the program components they found most beneficial as they pursued graduate education and went on to their chosen career fields. Several findings emerged related to existing literature, including help overcoming barriers, support and persistence, developing academic skills and preparing for graduate school, confidence and development as a scholar, ability to adapt to graduate school, and educational and career success. Recommendations for further research include examining how attending or not attending the site-selected institution during the academic year-long internship impacts participant experiences and replicating the study at other McNair Programs to better understand the lived experiences of program participants nationally.

With increasing numbers of first-generation college students enrolling in colleges and universities across the US, so too is the need to begin preparing such underrepresented students for graduate school and a career in academia. As a phenomenological case study of student transformation, this dissertation examines the experience of nine first-generation college students in the summer research portion of the Ronald E. McNair Achievement Program (McNair) at University of Arizona. The qualitative data collected includes in-depth interviewing, observing the students' in-class presentations on the progress of their summer research, and reviewing the students' written work. Drawing on Adult Transformational Learning Theory (Mezirow, 1991) and Gee's writings on student identity (2000) and Discourse (2005), this study primarily addresses the following questions: 1) How do UA McNair students take on and use the Discourse of research during the 10 week summer program? And 2) as they engage in the Discourse of research (in classes, with mentors, with peers, in written work), what academic identity transformations are observed (in the classroom, in interviews, and in written work)? Narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) was utilized to organize and examine the data, and research texts consist of academic biographies written for each student. Findings reveal that student transformation is the noticeable difference in the students' utilization and integration of a language system used to describe their summer research and to define their research interests. Defined as the Discourse of research, this becomes the basis for students enacting the identity of undergraduate researcher. As a cohort of nine McNair Scholars, students share the experience of undergraduate research and engage in conversations which address the insecurities they have as first-generation college students. Through this formation of an affinity group (Gee, 2005) and their utilization of the Discourse of research, students engage in critical reflection, reevaluate their academic identities, and begin preparing themselves for their transition from undergraduate students to first-year doctoral students.