Through the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), this study examined the impacts of counseling first-generation, low-income college-bound students by way of a school counselor experiential learning program at one small, private university in the eastern United States. This study explored experiential learning, including from a transformative learning perspective, as well as its overall impact on school counseling student preparation. Themes that emerged indicated that school counseling graduate student interns, when placed in a culturally diverse experiential learning setting, have the potential to increase their counselor competencies including multicultural competencies, and to have a transformative learning experience. These impacts were discussed along with a social justice advocacy perspective. Implications of these findings, including encouragement for the development of similar university-community partnerships, were included.
