A Closer Look at Common Characteristics Behind Resilience: As Studied Among Northern New Mexico Students Crystal Roybal Northern New Mexico College Department of Integrated Humanities and Social Sciences: Psychology Abstract Hypotheses Theory Introduction Data Collection and Methods Data Analysis and Findings Discussion Conclusions References Acknowledgements  Although true random sample and sample selection is best, this project used a partially random purposive sampling method. The reason for this is that it is not feasible given FERPA to obtain a sample frame for every student attending Northern New Mexico College.  In this partially random purposive sample, a total of 39 students were administered the survey(n=39), four classes participated, including Anthropology, Criminal Justice, English Comp, and Pueblo Indian Studies.  Resilience is the ability to overcome, cope, and learn from adversities in life.  In an exploratory study aimed at looking closer at student resilience and satisfaction thirty nine students were surveyed.  Survey questions were aimed at finding out characteristics students attribute to their satisfaction as a student at Northern New Mexico College.  Questions also inquired about the hardships and challenges students at NNMC face.  The dependent variable was the level of satisfaction as a student at NNMC College. How would you rate your overall experience at Northern New Mexico College?  Students who commented the most were, “Extremely satisfied” or “Somewhat Satisfied”. Although more study is needed, it may be an indication that students who are extremely satisfied or somewhat satisfied take more initiative in voicing their concerns and offering suggestions for improvement which is a characteristic of resilience.  Furthermore, it is important to note that despite being extremely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, or not very satisfied, students who communicated every listed level of satisfaction also experienced difficulties and challenges.  The data in this study seems to indicate that students at NNMC have been able to find ways to overcome the obstacles in their life in order to become a student and in some cases, to find satisfaction in their experience at college. By studying more students and enquiring further into specific examples of student success, more would be revealed about the strengths and resilience among NNMC students.  Because it is seemingly difficult to predict, resilience can be difficult to measure or compare.  By looking at the adversities NNMC students deal with, their satisfaction levels, and characteristics of resilience they attribute to their college satisfaction, it may shed more light on how NNMC students persevere and overcome obstacles. There were several expectations being considered for the project.  One expectation was that positive characteristics of resilience would have no impact on the increase or decrease of student success and/or satisfaction.  Another was that as positive characteristics of resilience increased, student success and/or satisfaction would increase.  Third was if positive characteristics of resilience increased, student success and/or satisfaction decreased.  Forth was that if positive characteristics of resilience decreased, student success and/or satisfaction increased.  Finally, if positive characteristics of resilience decreased, student success and/or satisfaction decreased.  Francisca Infante and Alexandra Lamond authors of “ Resiliency and Biculturalism: The Latino Experience in the United States”, describe resilience as the ability to reach out for support and resources, as well as strong social, family, and cultural relationships (Infante & Lamond 2003).  Babbie, Earl R. The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Print.  Infante, Francisca, and Alexandra Lamond. "Resiliency and Biculturalism: The Latino Experience in the United States." Resilience for Today: Gaining Strength from Adversity. By Edith H. Grotberg. Westport, CT: Praeger, N. pag. Print.  Mackrain, Mary. Devereux Adult Resilience Survey. The Devereux Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Mar Thank you Professors Stephanie Amedeo-Marquez Ph.D., Doctor Barton, Doctor Crone, and Doctor Martinez for allowing students to participation in this research project. Also, thank you to the student success center and staff, the library staff and Dr. Linell for your help and promotion of research at NNMC. For more Information contact: Crystal Roybal at:  Questions on the survey were measured using a Likert scale. Survey questions were adapted and fitted to the needs of the project from the “Devereux Adult Resilience Survey”  Survey Questions were pre-tested to test the reliability of the questions.  Other Questions on the survey asked about challenges, poverty, relationships, initiative, and other characteristics of resilience. Extre mely satisfi ed– Somewhat satisfied– Not very satisfied– Dissatisfied–Total–Average Rating 35.90% % % %  Student responses indicate that 89.75(n=35) students were extremely or somewhat satisfied with their experience at NNMC College. Additionally, 10.26(4) students were not very satisfied.  A table of student responses about their satisfaction at NNMC was created. Student Satisfaction Levels: Extremely SatisfiedSomewhat SatisfiedNot Very SatisfiedDissatisfied “STACAY” “better food!” “Family Housing” “ Later library hours” “Offer more classes in all semesters” “More inline classes to make it easier for working students to succeed.” “One thing could be more student community groups and activities. It would give students more opportunities to become more outgoing, outside of their classes.” “More Food” “I think Northern is a great school” “Lower Tuition” “Help centers for helping students with college work.” “Have more security and labeled crosswalks” “There can be more hands on in the automotive classes” “Have the college library open longer on Friday evenings or on Saturday or Sunday evenings.” “Not on campus enough to decide on something to improve on.” “A more integrated tutoring program.” “Everything is fine to me” “lower prices on EVERYTHING” “Housing for families” “Lower Tuition” “Improve Communication” “ I think dorms would really help with the whole college experience” “Hire workers who actually care about what the students need. Not people who you can’t talk to because they have attitude problems and bully you.”  A quantitative bivariate analysis compared levels of student satisfaction to challenges and difficulties they face.  Although more study is needed to come to any definitive conclusions, it seems that the data suggests that the majority of students are extremely or somewhat satisfied with their experience at NNMC while at the same time facing many challenges such as poverty, the death of a loved one, and drug and alcohol abuse by themselves or others.  Students also communicated various characteristics of resilience as being important to them.