The Journey to Thrive: An Exploration of the Experiences of

This exploration seeks to understand how Black Women administrators navigate, survive, and thrive at predominantly white community colleges (PWCCs). Patricia Hills Collins' Black feminist thought (2000) was the theoretical framework and methodological approach rooted in this research. Participants revealed similarities and unique intricacies found in their encounters and coping strategies.While discovering how the experiences of Black Women administrators at PWCCs inform their self-perception, affect their health, and influence their career matriculation, the analysis of the participant interviews unveiled several themes and subthemes within two main categories; how they navigate their PWCCs, and how they survive at their PWCCs. In the navigation section, I reveal the primary themes associated with the experiences of the participants, all of which are connected to encounters with microaggressions, including: (a) lack of representation and inclusivity, (b) imposter syndrome, and (c) stereotype deterrence. In the survival section, I present the participant's coping strategies that emerged which included: (a) the strong Black Woman narrative, (b) support systems, and (c) self-care. Additionally, a set of recommendations are made for PWCCs aimed at the specialized recruitment, and retention of Black Women administrators to create environments where this unique group can thrive.