“Open Our Hearts and Minds to Say I Belong Here”: Undergraduate Preservice Teachers’ Transfer Experiences

Examining transfer students’ sense of belonging and perceptions of community in the context of their journey toward becoming teachers highlights the challenges and opportunities they encounter during this academic transition. Through the use of thematic analysis, this study analyzed the dynamics of building a sense of belonging among 14 preservice teachers of color as they transferred into a large four-year Hispanic Serving Institution. Through a Transfer-Receptive Culture lens, the study finds that students placed limited significance on their racial identities but described other factors as more impactful on their sense of belonging. The study argues for foregrounding students’ intersectional identities, including race, to enhance their overall academic success, enable them to create meaningful connections with peers and equip them with the necessary skills to excel in their future roles as teachers.