Balancing engineering and religious identities

How can engineering educators support students that seek to integrate their multiple identities? More specifically, how can engineering educators teach students to integrate their engineering identity into their current sense of self? Previous research found that African-American college students integrate their religious and professional identities by using religion as a lens to make meaning of other identity dimensions. This research, through the theoretical lens of multiple identities, seeks to understand the experience of a single engineering student that expressed the challenges he faced as an African-American male integrating his Christian and engineering identities during his student team project. The interview data presented here was part of a larger phenomenological study design, which included a thematic analysis process. The results of the current analysis suggests that this engineering student perceived an intersection between his engineering and religious identities where his religious identity impacted his team experience. His story provides insight for engineering educators to understand the benefits and barriers that emerge at the intersection of religious beliefs and the development of an engineering identity.