Sonja Ardoin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs, Clemson University
Sonja Ardoin, Ph.D. is a learner, educator, facilitator, and author. Proud of her rural hometown of Vidrine, Louisiana, her working-class, Cajun roots, and her first-generation college student to Ph.D. journey, Sonja holds degrees from LSU, Florida State, and NC State. She considers herself a scholar-practitioner of higher education; she served as an administrator for 10 years before shifting to the faculty in 2015. She currently serves as an associate professor of higher education and student affairs at Clemson University. Sonja studies social class identity, college access and success for rural and first-generation college students, student and women’s leadership, and career preparation and pathways in higher education and student affairs. Sonja stays engaged in the broader field through ACPA, AFLV, ASHE, the Center for First-generation Student Success, NASPA, and several journal editorial boards. She enjoys books, traveling, music, sports, laughing, and spending time with her husband and pup. Learn more about Sonja's work at www.sonjaardoin.com.
Speaker Travels From
North Carolina
Sonja is available for in-person and virtual engagements! Contact us today.
Speaker Topics
| Becoming a More [First-gen College] Student-Ready Campus
Learn a five-step process to welcome first-gen. college students to campus and assist them to graduation, including terms, barriers, and supports. | Exploring How Jargon Influences First-gen Experiences
Recognize how higher ed lingo and acronyms can create barriers for first-gen students and families and learn how to recalibrate communication. |
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| Success Stories of First-generation College Students
Experience the power of storytelling by learning Sonja’s first-gen story, hearing the success stories of others, and sharing parts of your own story. | First-gen is Not My Only Identity: Recognizing Intersections
Bust the myth that being first-gen is a monolithic experience by exploring how identity intersections create unique first-gen perspectives. |
| First-gen Foundation: Preparing Classrooms & Curricula
Prepare academic foundations for first-gen students by analyzing learning environments and curricular content for costs, representation, and jargon. | Just For Y’all: Tailored Sessions for Your Institution
Sonja is happy to work with campuses to create tailored sessions around their specific needs in serving first-generation college students. |
Books, News, & Media
Books & Monographs
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García-Louis, C., Ardoin, S., Shalka, T., McGuire, K., & Parker, E. (Eds.). (2024). Creating space for ourselves as minoritized and marginalized faculty: Narratives that humanize the academy. Routledge.
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Hallmark, T., Ardoin, S., & Means, D. (Eds.). (2024). Race and rurality: Considerations for advancing higher education equity. Routledge.
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Martin, G. L. & Ardoin, S. (Eds.) (2021). Social class supports: Programs and practices to serve and sustain poor & working class students in higher education. Stylus Publishing.
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Ardoin, S. & Guthrie, K. L. (Eds.). (2021). Leadership learning through the lens of social class. New Directions for Student Leadership, 169.
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Ardoin, S. & martinez, b. (2019). Straddling class in the academy: 26 stories of students, administrators, and faculty from poor and working class backgrounds and their compelling lessons for higher education policy and practice. Stylus Publishing.
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Ardoin, S. (2018). College aspirations and access in working-class, rural communities: The mixed signals, challenges, and new language first-generation students encounter. Lexington Books.
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Ardoin, S. & contributing writers. (2014). The strategic guide to shaping your student affairs career. Stylus Publishing.
Scholarly Articles
Ardoin, S., Ramos, D., & Wallace, J. (2024). Defying dual alienation: Letters on liminality from faculty who identify as first-generation college graduates from poor and working-class backgrounds. In C. García-Louis, S. Ardoin, T. Shalka, K. McGuire, & E. Parker (Eds.), Creating space for ourselves as minoritized and marginalized faculty: Narratives that humanize the academy. Routledge.
Urgo, R. A., & Ardoin, S. (2024). Systemic solutions driving retention and graduation efforts at a large, selective private institution: A scalable project for student success. Journal of First-Generation Student Success, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/26906015.2024.2366184
Broadhurst, C., Ardoin, S., Williamson, S. (2023). Providing pathways for first-generation college student success. Journal for First-generation Student Success, 3(1), 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/26906015.2023.2180719
Ardoin, S. (2023). Sonja Ardoin - associate professor & program director. In A. J. Rodríguez (Ed.), Know that you are worthy: Experiences from first-generation college graduates (pp. 125-130). Rowman & Littlefield.
Ardoin, S. & Nguyen, D. (2022). One of these is not always like the other: Social class & first-generation college student status. ACPA Developments, 19(4). Retrieved from https://developments.myacpa.org/one-of-these-is-not-always-like-the-other-social-class-first-generation-college-student-status-ardoin-nguyen/
Ardoin, S. & Erb, M. (2022). First generation graduate students: Reducing barriers with support mechanisms. In D. J. Nguyen & C. W. Yao (Eds.), A handbook for supporting today's graduate students (pp. 55-69). Stylus Publishing.
Ardoin, S., Garcia-Louis, C., & Means, D. (2022). It doesn’t go away with the degree(s): How being a first generation graduate influences faculty experiences. In M. B. Wallace (Ed.), First generation professionals in higher education: Strategies for the world of work (pp. 173-197). NASPA.
Ardoin, S. (2021). The nuances of first-generation college students’ social class identity. In R. Longwell-Grice & H. Longwell-Grice (Eds.), At the intersection: Understanding and supporting first-generation students (pp. 89-99). Stylus Publishing.
Ardoin, S. (2021). It’s all a bunch of B.S.: How institutional jargon creates in-groups & out-groups in higher education, particularly for first-generation college students. In R. Longwell-Grice & H. Longwell-Grice (Eds.), At the intersection: Understanding and supporting first-generation students (pp. 196-200). Stylus Publishing.
Hallmark, T. & Ardoin, S. (2021). Public narratives and postsecondary pursuits: An examination of gender, rurality, and college choice. Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, 14(2), 121-142. DOI: 10.1080/26379112.2021.1950741.
Ardoin, S. (2020). Engaging poor and working-class students. In S. Harper, S. J. Quaye, & S. Pendakur (Eds.), Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations (3rd ed.) (pp. 307-323). Routledge.
Ardoin, S. (2019). Social class influences on student learning. In P. Magolda, M. B. Baxter Magolda, & R. Carducci (Eds.), Contested issues in troubled times: Student affairs dialogues about equity, civility, and safety (pp. 203-214). Stylus Publishing.
Ardoin, S., Clayton, A., Nguyen, D., & martinez, b. (2019). How first-generation college students live with social class differences on campus. In J. C. Garvey, J. C. Harris, D. R. Means, R. J. Perez, & C. J. Porter (Eds.), Case studies for student development theory: Advancing social justice & inclusion in higher education (pp. 105-107). Routledge.
Ardoin, S. (2018). Helping poor and working class students create their own sense of belonging. New Directions for Student Services, 162, 75-86. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20263.
Ardoin, S. (2017). Priced out: Considerations for increasing low-income students’ ability to engage on campus and increase cultural and social capital. NASPA Knowledge Community Online National Conference Publication, 51-52. Retrieved from https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/events/2017-naspa-final.pdf.
Public Scholarship and Media Articles
- Wood, S. (2021, April 2). First-generation institute highlights social class and institutional responsibilities [Sonja Ardoin keynote highlighted]. Diverse Issues.. Retrieved from here.
- Ardoin, S. (2021, March). Responding to students’ changing needs. NASPA Leadership Exchange, 19(1), 37.. Retrieved from here.
- Ardoin, S. (2021, January 4). Rethinking recruitment for equity, not ease. AFLV Connections.. Retrieved from here.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education. (2020, December 10). Race, class, & campus climate webinar [Sonja Ardoin as panelist]. Retrieved from here.
- Berg, A. (2020, July 17). For first-generation students, a disappearing ‘college experience’ could have grave consequences [Sonja Ardoin quoted]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from here.
- McNamee, T., Willis, J., Ganss, K. M., Ardoin, S., & Sansone, V. (2020, May 4). Don’t forget about rural higher education students: Addressing digital inequities during COVID-19. Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Retrieved from here.
- Jarvis, W. (2019, July 31). ‘Why do we have so many freaking acronyms?!’ Some colleges target jargon in the name of student success [Sonja Ardoin quoted]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from here.
- Nadworny, E. & Marcus, J. (2018, December 12). 'Going to office hours is terrifying' and other tales of rural students in college [Sonja Ardoin quoted]. NPR. Retrieved from here.
- Marcus, J. (2018, December 12). Some colleges extend scholarships and other help to rural high school grads [Sonja Ardoin quoted]. The Hechinger Report. Retrieved from here.
- Monaghan, P. (2018, April 22). The lonely country road to college. [The Chronicle Bookshelf, with Sonja Ardoin]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from here.
- Zamudio-Suaréz, F. (2016, December 11). I fit in neither place [The Chronicle Interview, with Sonja Ardoin]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from here.
Click here to view a full list of Sonja Ardoin's published work.
More About The Speaker
View Sonja Ardoin's website here.
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