The Impact of Non-Traditional Mentorship on Latina Graduate Students During Covid-19

Mentorship has long been a means in which to obtain industry/institutional knowledge with dedicated support from those with experience. Insider trading of this information shared through mentorship is a valuable resource. Understanding how COVID-19 impacted Latina graduate students’ acquisition of these relationships was the goal of the study. While much of the research has centered on the Latina/o/x undergraduate experience, this research focused on Latinas in graduate programs. This qualitative, phenomenological study delved into the lived experiences of Latinas in graduate programs during COVID-19 and how they incorporated non-traditional mentorship into their academic journey. Nine Latina graduate students shared their experiences through a series of focus groups.; bringing with them a dialogue that gathered first-person accounts of perseverance, self-advocacy, leadership, and a sense of comunidad. The sharing of these experiences also brought to light the challenges faced during a global pandemic navigating a system with documented racial disparities in advanced degree attainment between Latina/o/x students and the general population in graduate programming. The findings support the proposed hybrid collective network that is both culturally and academically relevant to Latina graduate students. The collective creates a pathway to engaging Latina graduate students and fostering a sense of belonging within graduate programs.

Grantor dc:publisher

Creighton University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Stone, Lizzet, J.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Cook, Cynthia

• Comunidad
• COVID-19
• Latina Graduate Student
• Leadership
• Mentorship
• Non-Traditional

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright is retained by the Author. A non-exclusive distribution right is granted to Creighton University and to ProQuest following the publishing model selected above.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://cdr.creighton.edu/handle/10504/165594

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:cdr.creighton.edu:10504/165594