Smith, Julia B.Price, MoNique K.Sule, V. ThandiMartin, Robert2024-10-022024-10-022024-01-01https://hdl.handle.net/10323/18269African American students make up approximately 13.1% of all students enrolled in postsecondary institutions across the United States (Hanson, 2023). African American students overwhelming, approximately 68%, attend public institutions. Further, approximately, 72% of African American students are enrolled at 4-year institutions. African American students enrolled at these institutions face challenges that their peers who are not African American do not, such as feelings of isolation, microaggressions, and less-than-welcoming campus climates. These factors often prevent African American students from fostering a sense of belonging to and on their campuses. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the theory of Double Consciousness as theoretical frameworks, this study sought to evaluate the sense of belonging of third-year undergraduate students enrolled at a Predominately White Institution (PWI). Further, my dissertation sought to uncover the effect, if any, student engagement had on developing sense of belonging for the study participants. This study aimed to examine African American students' engagement in extracurricular activities that may foster their sense of belonging in PWI. Data was collected via a pre-interview survey, followed by seven 1-hour semi-structure interviews with 31 participants. This study identified four themes: Campus Climate, Student Engagement, Belonging, and Why Am I Still Here. The findings showed that race had a significant impact on the participants' sense of belonging and the activities they were able to engage in on campus. Despite the challenges they faced, the participants showed resilience and motivation to persist. The study concludes with implications for higher education professionals and recommendations for future studiesAfrican American studentsPersisitenceResilienceSense of belongingStudent engagement