Mentoring Latinas on Doctoral Journeys: Testimonios of Cultural and Gender Identity

<p>In the United States, Latinas are underrepresented in obtaining PhDs that lead to high level professional careers and academia. This may be due, in part, to patriarchal academic institutions and approaches that have historically devalued the cultural experiences and identities of marginalized populations, including Latinas in higher education. However, research suggests that mentorship can support Latinas in successfully obtaining PhDs and disrupt institutional norms and practices. Framed by LatCrit, Mestiza Consciousness, and Mujerista Mentoring, this study sheds light on the experiences of twenty-four Latinas who earned PhDs-with or without mentors during their doctoral journeys. As such, the purpose of this study was to understand the role of mentorship for Latinas who obtained PhDs while negotiating their cultural or gender identities. A qualitative research design using Testimonio methodology was used to reposition Latinas with PhDs as central to the analysis. While each Doctora’s experience was unique, common themes across Testimonios included navigational barriers, identity through mentorship and scholar familia, cultural and gender assets, and feminist energy. These themes reflected tensions and barriers experienced through racism, sexism, classism, and ableism that guide normative academic research. These findings are less surprising if we consider the critical role of mentorship in these ways: funding, finding postdoctoral positions in higher education, providing emotional support along with cultural competency, and being in their scholar familia circle. The stories of these successful Latinas add to the existing research by exposing their experiences and how they claimed space grounded in their community and found the right “tribe” to maintain their cultural and gender identity while obtaining a PhD.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Education, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Educational Studies

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• Rangel, Jacqueline

Contributors dc:contributor

• Claudia Bermúdez
• Thomas Luschei

• Doctorate
• LatCrit
• Latina
• Mentorship
• Scholar Familia
• Testimonios
• Education
• Higher Education
• Women's Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/796

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1818