Dr. Dawn Johnson, SU
Syracuse, NY — In the closing lecture of the 2026 Women in Scientific and
Environmental Professions Speaker Series, Dr. Dawn Johnson, Professor, School
of Education, Syracuse University explored Identity and Belonging in STEM,
particularly for women of color in STEM disciplines. Through her talk, Dr. Johson
described how sense of belonging shapes the academic experiences, persistence,
and success of women of color in STEM fields, drawing on decades of research,
national data, and lived experiences from students.
Johnson
began by situating the work within her own path into higher education, noting
that she was “the first one in my family to graduate college” and that her
professional experiences have taken place primarily at predominantly white
schools, colleges, and universities. Her
early work at Worcester Polytechnic Institute sparked a sustained focus on
women of color after exploring the possibility of creating a Black sorority on
campus, and realizing that only 13 Black and Latina women were enrolled on a
campus of approximately 3,000 students—“a number that you know, but then when
you hear it, it’s still jarring.”
Central to
the talk was the concept of sense of belonging, defined as students’
perceptions of social support, connectedness, and mattering. “Essentially,” said
Dr. Johnson, “we want to feel like we matter to somebody, that if we didn’t
show up one day, someone would miss us and ask, ‘Where are you? Are you okay?
How can I help?’”
While
“belonging” has recently gained prominence as a term, the speaker emphasized
that it has long been embedded in higher education research, particularly in
scholarship focused on racial climate. “Even though belonging is sort of the
new word for equity,” she explained, “belonging in many respects has always
been connected to equity.”
Further, “belonging
is relational and mutual. It’s important to the individual. The individual
feels connected to the group, and the group values the individual.”
Participants
were invited to reflect on spaces where they experience belonging. Students and
employees identified elective courses, laboratory environments, committee work,
informal coffee spaces, and affinity groups as places of connection. One
student shared that elective courses foster belonging because of “a vast
variety of students from different backgrounds,” while a staff member described
feeling supported by colleagues who showed up for a committee-led campus event:
“I felt really held by the people who showed up because they knew it was
important to me.”
The talk
then turned to why women of color remain a critical focus in STEM. Despite
making up a growing share of college students, women of color continue to be
severely underrepresented in STEM degrees. The presenter highlighted how early
STEM coursework often functions as a gatekeeping mechanism, citing familiar
messages such as, “Look to your left, look to your right. One of you won’t make
it.”
Belonging,
she explained, is closely tied to STEM identity—“being seen, recognized, and
valued as a person who does science”—and is shaped by classroom dynamics, peer
interactions, and faculty engagement. Negative experiences, such as being
ignored in class or having one’s work dismissed in group projects, undermine
that identity, while positive recognition and encouragement help students
persist.
Drawing on
research from the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP),
Johnson shared findings from the multi-institutional study that included 233
women and 282 men from five central NY institutions. Women of color were more
likely to report feeling ignored in class, experiencing racialized dynamics,
and feeling less comfortable seeking help from instructors. They also reported
lower confidence and higher levels of stress. At the same time, they placed
greater value on minority STEM organizations and on “using their STEM degree to
give back to their community.”
The talk
underscored that these challenges reflect both individual experiences and
systemic conditions. “Students are not the problem,” stressed Johnson. “If we
could fix it by focusing on the students alone… we wouldn’t still be talking
about underrepresented groups in science all these years later.”
Johnson
identified Faculty as key change agents in shaping classroom climates,
particularly through intentional group work design, mentoring, and early
research opportunities. She concluded by emphasizing that fostering belonging
is an institutional responsibility and invited attendees to continue the
conversation.
Dr. Johnson is a Professor in the School of Education at
Syracuse University. Her research focuses on the experiences of students of
color in STEM majors at predominantly White institutions, with a special
interest in women of color. She teaches courses on college student identity
development and was a founding faculty member of the WiSE Women of Color in
STEM program at SU. She was previously a Co-Principal Investigator for the
Upstate Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ULSAMP); Syracuse University
served as lead institution for the institutions participating in the alliance. Dr. Johnson earned her Ph.D. in Counseling and
Personnel Services from the University of Maryland.
This presentation was cohosted by the ESF Women’s Caucus;
MOSA Intersectional Collective; Office
of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access; and the ESF Science Corps.
