Transcript – Doctoral Programs at Predominately White Institutions: Shared Experiences from Women of Color

Doctoral programs are predominantly white institutions, experiences of women of color, excellence in graduate education depends on supporting diversity and inclusion. People from diverse backgrounds bring unique perspectives and experiences that are essential to learning and fostering intellectual collegiality. As a doctoral student, you have intellectual experiences in graduate school that are beneficial to their academic program as well as their overall will be. Predominantly white institutions have efforts in place to build inclusive graduate communities. Many struggle with recruiting and retaining women of color to their doctoral programs and confirmed doctoral degrees for women of color, especially those of STEM. There’s limited research examining the experiences women of women of color, doctoral students. It was intrinsic and extrinsic barriers are related to the advancement of these women. What remains to be answered is how do women of color move beyond the deficit models and challenges toward achieving a more holistic experience join their graduate education. This research is intended to frame the educational experiences of women of color doing their doctoral programs. The research is conducted qualitative research methods. Major things that were found were systemic whiteness, support, validation, a longing and poor retention for faculty of color, future directions of this research to be used to further the understanding of how to support and retain female doctoral students of color in their study programs. The doctoral students discussed extensively the type of support that was helpful for them, such as family support, formal support by their department and faculty, community support and financial support. In that regard for the literature on doctoral student preparation, this research could provide insight into how to help doctoral female students of color navigate the high pressure an overwhelmingly white environment of academia supplies. The students interviewed discuss various forms of adversity that they had to overcome while in their programs such as discrimination, stereotyping, imposter syndrome, being expected to tough it out and having to work harder than white or male peers. In that regard, literature and doctoral student’s experiences could provide insight into that adversity that doctoral female students of color have to navigate during their studies. Thank you.