From Gatekeeping to Belonging: Rethinking STEM Education

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.