Community building, navigating the campus and validation of identity: Exploring campus affiliation and identity development for low-income, first-generation and underrepresented minority students at the University of Southern California

The purpose of this investigation was twofold: (1) to define two constructs found in the literature, campus affiliation and identity development, for nontraditional students and (2) to assess the influence of the University of Southern California Norman Topping Student Aid Fund (NTSAF) program on campus affiliation and identity development. The sample was drawn from the NTSAF program, a scholarship program for nontraditional students that in previous years has seen nearly 100 percent of its students graduate in two to four years. Three themes emerged through this research: (1) Community Building, (2) Navigating the Campus and (3) Validation of Identity. Investigation of campus affiliation and identity development revealed that institutions may indeed impact the way students' background characteristics help or hinder their progress on campus.