Invisible students are those who fly under the radar, whose needs and circumstances often go unnoticed. Dr. Bart Stykes shares insights from his current research on one invisible student group: the student parent – a college student who has at least one child under 18. Drawing on his research, he argues that seeing the invisible student is the essential first step in equipping them to succeed. Bart Stykes, Ph.D., is Interim Chair and Associate Professor in Sociology at Sam Houston State University. His research explores parent-child relationships, family dynamics, gender, and well-being. He believes that impactful research transforms communities to affect positive change. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Stykes experienced insecurities, such as feeling like an outsider on the university campus, which instilled a passion to disrupt universities’ natural tendencies to reproduce inequalities across students. Dr. Stykes was eager to join the SHSU faculty because of the institution’s reputation for admitting and retaining historically underrepresented students. Sam Houston State University’s identity is wedded to meeting students where they are and empowering them to succeed to promote upward mobility. Yet, over the years, Dr. Stykes came to realize that some underrepresented students receive considerable support while others – like student parents – remain invisible This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx