The Importance Of Social Capital

Social capital allows for actors, or those benefitting from the social connection, to secure resources that aid them in achieving their goals. The usefulness of the social capital is dependent upon the social structure in which the connection exists. Once activated, the social capital can be used along with other resources in the pursuance of additional forms of capital to produce different outcomes for actors. The value of the outcome, once again, is dependent upon the social structure (Coleman 1988). Connections made in primary or secondary education are most valuable in those institutions. It follows that mentor/mentee relationships formed in K-12 education will be at their pinnacle of social and cultural accumulation while the mentee is

Shelton, was her eighth grade English teacher and was instrumental in helping Cecilia succeed. Prior to enrollment, Ms. Shelton aided in her transition to college by increasing her engagement in the college selection process. Cecilia’s parents work long shifts in a factory and did not have the time or resources needed to drive her to campus visits or to Wellborn for the WUSAP program. Furthermore, her school did not provide resources for such visits. Without the help of Ms. Shelton, Cecilia may not have been able to secure transportation in order to participate in WUSAP. Her social capital was transferable into cultural capital through participation in college

Cecilia’s English teacher and mentor Ms. Shelton, introduced her to Ms. Abby. Ms. Abby held workshops and provided college counseling to students in the local community. She served as a valuable asset in Cecilia’s college application process, allowing her to accumulate cultural capital in much the same way as Miranda:
Interviewer: How did your school prepare you for the college application process?

Cecilia: Um that was outside school. So like we had very, very few counselors so I kinda went out on my own and looked. Like my English teacher told me to go to the Boys and Girls club and a lady um there… that used to be a counselor—she retired—had like a program. Like she would help you with applications and kinda just like letting you know everything you need to do to prepare for college. So everything with college was done outside of school.

Through the social capital activated by her relationship with Ms. Shelton, Cecilia was able to accumulate additional social and cultural capital, allowing her to secure opportunities for herself. Cecilia remains in contact with Ms. Abby and informed me during our interview that she would be meeting with her the following day for