Biography

Sonja Ardoin, Ph.D. is a learner, educator, facilitator, and author. Proud of her hometown of Vidrine, Louisiana, her working class, Cajun roots, and her first-generation college student to PhD 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 is currently an assistant professor of student affairs administration at Appalachian State University. Sonja studies social class identity, college access and success for first-generation college students and students from rural areas, student and women’s leadership, and career preparation and pathways in higher education and student affairs. Learn more about Sonja at www.sonjaardoin.com.

Sonja contributes to literature through books, book chapters, journal articles, and blogs and enjoys reading the work of others.  She credits her love of reading to her grandmother, who always brought her to the local library as a child and challenged her to read the maximum number of books each week. Some of Sonja’s publications are listed below and you can view more information about her publications on her website.

Contact info: [email protected]

Select Publications

Books
• Martin, G. & Ardoin, S. (under contract). Social class supports: Examples of programs and practices to serve poor & working class students in higher education. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
• 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. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
• Ardoin, S. (2018). College aspirations and access in working-class, rural communities: The mixed signals, challenges, and new language first-generation students encounter. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
• Ardoin, S. & contributing writers. (2014). The strategic guide to shaping your student affairs career. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Book Chapters
• Ardoin, S. (accepted). Acknowledging how poor and working class backgrounds can influence student engagement. In S. Harper, S. J. Quaye, & S. Pendakur (under contract), Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
• Ardoin, S. (accepted). The nuances of first generation college students’ social class identity. In R. Longwell-Grice & H. Longwell-Grice (under contract), The intersection of first generation college students and race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability status: An edited volume. Washington, D.C.: NASPA.
• Ardoin, S. (accepted). 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 (under contract), The intersection of first generation college students and race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability status: An edited volume. Washington, D.C.: NASPA.
• Ardoin, S. (accepted). Country [and Cajun] come to town. In A. J. Rodríguez & S. Levin (under contract), Experiences from first generation college students. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Ardoin, S. (accepted). The classed construct of student affairs work. In M. Sallee (under contract), Developing the whole professional: Rethinking student affairs work. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
• Ardoin, S. & Nguyen, D. (accepted). Social class and first generation college student status. In S. P. Gold (under contract), Instructional scenarios of multiple identities in higher education. Washington, DC: NASPA.
• Ardoin, S. (in press). What if there is no “right” answer?: Preparing for the “grey areas” of ethical decision-making. In K. L. Guthrie & D. M. Jenkins (Eds.), Transforming learning: Instructional and assessment strategies for leadership education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
• Ardoin, S. (2019). The journey from #SAGrad to #SAPro. In D. Kniess, K. Walker, & T. Cawthon (Eds.), New directions for student services: Managing career transitions across the life span for the student affairs practitioner (pp. 19-28). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• 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. New York, NY: 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). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
• Ardoin, S. & martinez, b. (2018). No, I can’t meet you for an $8 coffee: How class shows up in workspaces. In B. Reece, V. Tran, E. DeVore, & G. Porcaro (Eds.), Debunking the myth of job fit in student affairs (pp. 97-117). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
• Ardoin, S. (2018). Social class identity influences on leadership opportunities and practices. In K. L. Guthrie & V.S. Chunoo (Eds.), Changing the narrative: Socially just leadership education (pp. 59-76). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
• Ardoin, S. (2018). Helping poor and working class students create their own sense of belonging. In G. Martin & B. Elkins (Eds.), New directions for student services: Social class identity in student affairs (pp. 75-86). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Ardoin, S. (2017). Charting one’s own theory of leadership. In J. Dugan, M.A. Torrez, N. Turman, A. Barnes, & Associates (Eds.), Leadership theory: A facilitator’s guide for cultivating critical perspectives (pp. 439-452). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Journal Articles
• Locke, L., Broadhurst, C., Ardoin, S., & Johnson, J. (submitted). “Leading from the middle”: Exploring stories of women working for change in PK-12 Schools. Advancing Women in Leadership.
• Locke, L., Stier, M., & Ardoin, S. (revise and resubmit). “It was like gliding through”: Early college and college transition experiences of women from underrepresented and marginalized groups. Urban Education.
• Ardoin, S., Crandall, R., & Shinn, S. (2019). Senior student affairs officers’ perspectives on professional preparation in higher education and student affairs graduate programs. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice.
• Ardoin, S., Broadhurst, C., Locke, L., & Johnson, J. (2019). Peacemakers and rabble rousers: Women leaders as activists in higher education. Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, 12(1), 35-53.
• 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.

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