Pamela Aronson, assistant professor of sociology, has received two grants for her project: "Breaking Barriers or Locked Out? How Non-Traditional Students Experience College." Funded by a $10,000 grant from the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (2009) and a $6,000 Faculty Research Initiation and Seed Grant from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, University of Michigan-Dearborn (2008), the research is based on in-depth interviews with a diverse sample of non-traditional students at UM-Dearborn. This project examines the subjective experience of college and focuses on such issues as perceptions of obstacles and opportunities, institution and major field selection, support systems (such as family, mentors, and role models), future plans, and identity development and change.