This panel presentation will discuss the findings from an empirical study, as well as the outcome of a classroom intervention in which students felt ‘seen’ not only for who they are but what they were collectively experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research project explored the role of identity status in academic achievement for first generation college students (FGCS). While this population has attracted much scholarly attention, psychosocial factors such as identity remains under-studied. Research suggests that successful FGCS who identify as racial minorities accredit their high academic and life achievements to a communal sense of belonging and constructive identity development. The central argument of this study is that it is not just ethnic or social identity exclusively, but also academic identity that elicits differences in achievement. The presenters will also provide an overview of how participants in an Interdisciplinary Health Psychology course achieved visibility in an online classroom setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme of the course was “racial health disparities and justice”. Strategies for achieving course objectives including the use of breakout rooms, taking inventory of existing beliefs and sources of knowledge, radical easeful access to the professor, and a meditation on plagiarism will be discussed. Presenters will share academic, personal and pedagogical achievements from Fall 2020.