Graduate Students Of Color Research Articles

Forging Futures, Building a Pipeline: Testimonios From a Collective of Diverse MFP Alums in the Southwest

ABSTRACT For 50 years, the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) has supported social workers in serving diverse communities at risk of mental health issues and substance misuse, training over 1,000 masters and doctoral-level fellows, and preparing them for meaningful community engagement. Through testimonios, we explore the career paths, collaborations, and community involvement of five doctoral-level MFP alums working at a large public R1 university in the Southwest. Reflecting as MFP alums and diverse faculty of color, our testimonios bear witness to MFP’s influence on our antiracist, antioppressive, and decolonial work, our mentorship and recruitment of graduate students of color, and our efforts to build a diverse student pipeline to address mental health and substance misuse within marginalized racial and ethnic communities.

The power of sisterhood: graduate students’ dialogic exploration at the margins of a Midwest university

In this duoethnography we, a Latina and Filipina, write letters to each other reflecting on a video discussing our graduate student lives and shared journal entries during COVID-19. After revisiting the reflections, we share what makes the marginal space of a Midwest university unique and transformative. By analyzing our experiences, as Women of Color graduate students in a predominately white institution, common themes of spirit injury and healing emerged. We learned to make space for authentic relationships. We shared examples of our teaching experiences as Brown women in white spaces. We integrated voices and wisdom of Women of Color Scholars when talking to one another. We shared cautionary tales and stories of resilience to combat the taxing space of higher education on our Brown bodies. Consistent with this dialogic method, our writing and formatting choices invite the reader to be the third partner in our conversation.

(Re)structuring and (Re)imagining the First Year Experience for Graduate Students of Color Using Community Cultural Wealth

Graduate students of color have been entering graduate schools at unprecedented rates, yet these programs and institutions are not ready to fully support their unique needs. Using Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework, we showcase how graduate students of color utilize their cultural capital to succeed during their first year of graduate studies. We interviewed 10 graduate students from various graduate programs in Southern California and found that graduate students of color activated all six forms of cultural capital to persist through the challenges of their first year in graduate education. As graduate students of color used various forms of cultural capital to combat oppressive systems and structures during their first year, we call on graduate school programs and institutions to restructure and reimagine what support looks like for first-year graduate students of color by using an assets-based approach.

Social and Cultural Barriers Reported by STEM International Graduate Students of Color

This article explores international students’ experiences in their graduate STEM programs at predominantly white US institutions through in-depth qualitative interviews and thematic analysis. International students reported encountering social and cultural barriers with American peers and sometimes even with other international students. These barriers include language, popular cultural, and social norms. Some students, who were less culturally represented in their cohorts, felt isolated but later found other people outside of their departments, often people from their same cultural background. The experiences of our participants varied by the representation of their culture in their departments, where students from less represented countries experienced more isolation. Connections to current acculturation theory will be discussed, as well as further implications and possible solutions for increasing intercultural exchanges.

“They Don’t Really Care”: STEM Doctoral Students’ Unsupportive Interactions with Faculty and Institutions

Increasing the representation of racially minoritized groups and women in STEM graduate education is insufficient to make STEM fields and academia inclusive and equitable spaces, where all feel supported and thrive. This study was motivated by a phenomenological examination of support for graduate students, focusing on programs that admitted and graduated higher proportions of underrepresented students than their fields. We used negative case analysis to document the interplay of interpersonal and institutional interactions that define what racially/gender minoritized students experience as unsupportive. Guided by an intersectional interpretation of structuration, we uncovered three mechanisms—withholding support, doing racialized and/or gendered harm, and neglecting to take action when students faced known threats/harm—that underlie the unsupportive experiences faced by graduate students of color and women in STEM doctoral education. This typology of unsupportive mechanisms, alongside an understanding of positive types of support, can help practitioners and scholars rethink what constitutes support, moving toward creating equitable and inclusive graduate education.

Perceptions of Racism Among Graduate Students of Color in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

Audiology (AUD) and speech-language pathology (SLP) are White-dominated fields that operate within racist systems. Systemic racism has profoundly negative impacts on students and professionals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). This study explored the perceptions and experiences of systemic racism in BIPOC AUD and SLP graduate students as a means to promote antiracism efforts in the fields. A national web-based survey was used to collect information from 46 graduate students. The survey included quantitative questions about systemic racism in the AUD and SLP fields as well as open-ended questions regarding the personal, professional, and client-related impacts of racism. Analyses aimed to characterize patterns first within the overall BIPOC sample and then within three disaggregated racial-ethnic groups (Asian, Black, and Latino/a) to characterize potential differences within the heterogeneous BIPOC category. On quantitative questions, a substantial majority of BIPOC students selected options consistent with perceptions of systemic racism and White privilege. Qualitative questions yielded several themes related to the personal, professional, and client-related impacts of systemic racism from the perspective of BIPOC students, including reduced access to educational opportunities as well as clinical services, experiences with appearance-based discrimination as well as overt racism, and persistent underrepresentation with accompanying feelings of otherness. Disaggregation of responses suggested some differences in response patterns across racial-ethnic groups, which may warrant further investigation. The perspectives of AUD and SLP graduate students reinforce other reports of systemic racism in the fields. Multiple actions are warranted to instigate systemic change that supports graduate students, professionals, and clients of color. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24171513.

Reimagining the Agency of International Students of Color During Global Pandemic and (Neo)Racism

The global imaginary contributes to the perpetuation of neo-colonial and neo-liberal mentalities, which reinforce the political, cultural, and social dominance over international students. Through an exploration guided by interrelated theories of agency and transnational social fields, this study employs a narrative inquiry methodology with a constructivist research approach to comprehend and investigate the agency of international graduate students of Color amidst transnational mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic within a four-year public research institution in the United States. The research findings demonstrate that specific contexts and spaces shape the agency of international graduate students and (trans)form their present and future. This article reveals four distinct forms of agency: agency as negotiation in uncertainties, agency as resistance to forms of (neo)racism, agency for personal growth and (trans)formation, and agency within transnational futures.

Real Change or Performative Anti-Racism? Clinical Psychology Programs’ Efforts to Recruit and Retain BIPOC Scholars

ABSTRACT Objective This study assessed perceptions of Clinical Psychology doctoral programs’ efforts to recruit and retain faculty and graduate students of color, as well as differences in perceptions based on participants’ position within their program (i.e. graduate student versus faculty) and race. Method Participants (n = 297; 35% people of color; 79% female; mean age: 32) were graduate students and faculty from Clinical Psychology doctoral programs who completed an anonymous online survey about their programs’ efforts to recruit and retain graduate students and faculty of color; sense of belonging and perceptions of racial discrimination within programs; and experiences of cultural taxation and racism within programs. Results Faculty (n = 95) reported significantly greater perceptions of recruitment and retention efforts and fewer perceptions of racial discrimination than did graduate students (n = 202). Asian (n = 31), Black (n = 25), and Latinx (n = 35) participants reported significantly fewer perceptions of recruitment and retention efforts, less sense of belonging, and greater perceptions of racial discrimination than did White participants (n = 192). Cultural taxation was common among participants of color, and approximately half (47%) reported they have considered leaving academia – and approximately one third (31%) have considered leaving their program – due to experiences of racism in their program or field. Conclusions Cultural taxation and racial discrimination were common among scholars of color in this sample. Whether intentional or not, these experiences contribute to racially-toxic environments and negatively impact the racial diversity of the mental health workforce.

Harmonizing Assessments of Everyday Racial Discrimination Experiences: The Multigroup Everyday Racial Discrimination Scale (MERDS).

Reliable and valid assessment of direct racial discrimination experiences in everyday life is critical to understanding one key determinant of ethnoracial minority health and health disparities. To address psychometric limitations of existing instruments and to harmonize the assessment of everyday racial discrimination, the new Multigroup Everyday Racial Discrimination Scale (MERDS) was developed and validated. This investigation included 1,355 college and graduate students of color (Mage = 21.54, 56.0% women). Factor analyses were performed to provide evidence for structural validity of everyday racial discrimination scores. Item response theory modeling was used to investigate item difficulty relative to the level of everyday racial discrimination, and measurement error conditioned on the construct. MERDS scores were reliable, supported construct unidimensionality, and distinguished individuals who reported low to very high frequency of everyday racial discrimination. Results on the associations with racial identity and psychopathology symptoms, and utility of the scale are discussed.

Ate scholars: Cultivating community amongst multiracial women of color in graduate school

ABSTRACT This critical duoethnography examines the experiences of Multiracial Women of Color graduate students in order to inform best practices when advising and working with Women of Color in graduate school. As Multiracial Women of Color the authors navigate not feeling racially enough, essentialism, exotification, and a desire for community, membership, and sister solidarity.

Recruiting, retaining, and supporting graduate students of color in PWI education and human services programs

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of alumni of color in two graduate programs at a predominantly white institution (PWI) in rural Virginia. Through an electronic survey, alumni from a communication sciences and disorders (CSD) program and an educational leadership program reflected on their perceptions of their program’s recruitment, retention, and mentorship efforts for graduate students of color. Results showed that while graduate students of color in the educational leadership graduate program indicated a high level of support, some changes may need to be made in the CSD program to address the unique needs of graduate students of color. Future directions and addressing overarching needs for graduate students of color are discussed.

“Life was brought back into my body”: a critical race feminista analysis of racial microaffirmations

ABSTRACT This qualitative study utilized a Critical Race Feminista approach to explore the experiences of graduate Students of Color with racial microaffirmations. Racial microaffirmations are the subtle verbal and nonverbal strategies People of Color engage that affirm each other’s dignity, integrity, and shared humanity. These moments of shared cultural intimacy allow People of Color to feel acknowledged, respected, and valued in a society that constantly and perpetually seeks to dehumanize them. A Critical Race Feminista approach is grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Chicana feminist theoretical foundations. These theories guide the overall research design, and specifically, the methodological process. Four group pláticas were conducted with 30 students who also participated in the co-construction of knowledge during data analysis. This analysis revealed how racial microaffirmations can be embodied experiences, as sensory forms of knowledge that connect us to shared cultural intimacies and can serve as strategies for healing from racial traumas.

THE ROLE OF GIVING BACK IN THE PERSISTENCE OF WOMEN OF COLOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

This article examines the role of giving back in the persistence of women of color (WOC) students in engineering and computer science graduate education. Using the theoretical frame of community cultural wealth (CCW), which facilitated exploring our topic from a strengths-based perspective, we analyzed 16 interviews and four extant texts from two recent projects. This study's research question is: How does engaging in giving-back activities support the persistence of women of color in engineering and computing graduate education? We identified three giving-back activities that motivated WOC to persist: serving as a role model, mentoring others, and creating counterspaces. Activities connect to multiple types of CCW. We also recommend that institutions of higher education interested in retaining WOC in their engineering and computer science graduate programs should integrate giving-back activities into their curriculum offerings.

“We don’t feel like we belong”: Graduate Students’ of Color Racialized Experiences in Hybrid HESA Graduate Programs

Using Critical Race Theory and sense of belonging, we examined the racialized experiences of 17 graduate Students of Color in hybrid higher education and student affairs (HESA) graduate preparation programs in the United States to understand how faculty members contribute to their sense of belonging. The experiences of graduate Students of Color in hybrid HESA programs are complex and multi-layered; therefore, this study used a critical phenomenological approach to examine how their racialized experiences influence their experiences in hybrid classrooms. Graduate Students' of Color racialized experiences were shaped by three factors, which are illustrated in the findings: faculty ability to discuss acts of racism, racialized experiences with faculty, and including diverse perspectives in the classroom. Participants’ experiences illuminate the importance of applying culturally conscious approaches to program development, curriculum, advising, and pedagogical practices, especially for graduate Students of Color. Implications and recommendations for hybrid HESA graduate programs coordinators and faculty are described in-depth, including recommendations for how higher education scholars can situate equity and inclusion into hybrid classroom conversations and everyday interactions with graduate Students of Color.

Yes, Teaching and Pedagogical Practices Matter: Graduate Students' of Color Stories in Hybrid Higher Education/Student Affairs (HESA) Graduate Programs.

Faculty members must employ pedagogical practices that foster humanizing learning environments for graduate Students of Color who have been marginalized and othered in higher education. Methodologically using narrative inquiry, this paper describes graduate Students’ of Color stories in higher education/student affairs hybrid graduate preparation programs to understand how faculty contribute to humanizing and critical pedagogy. The findings highlight three central pedagogical strategies faculty used in hybrid classrooms that graduate Students’ of Color named as most effective: (1) taught to transgress against racism and oppression, (2) emphasized dialogic pedagogy strategies, and (3) encouraged collaboration inside and outside of the classroom. This study highlights critical pedagogies for student engagement and is a call-to-action for higher education to center humanizing praxis in hybrid learning environments and beyond.

Reimagining the broader impacts criterion in the NSF graduate research fellowship

For graduate students, securing prestigious fellowships provides incredible benefits such as increased job opportunities and likelihood of receiving awards. These benefits can be particularly life-changing for a graduate student who may come from a marginalized background. However, the inequity in fellowship distribution hinders the success of graduate students, especially those who are marginalized. The majority of the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is white and attend top-ranked institutions. Within the GRFP, there is a clear disconnect between the grantee’s proposed broader impacts and follow-through. To value and support communities, and graduate students of color in the process, the GRFP must be reimagined. In this article, we provide a brief background on the relationship between STEM and marginalized communities, and how broader impacts currently function as a band-aid to the issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in STEM. We then conclude by providing recommendations to improve the broader impacts section and the awardee selection process.

“It was just my name!”

Although international female students accounted for 44% of the enrolled international students in the United States (U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, 2020), their experiences regarding their ethnic name are relatively understudied in onomastic literature. This study considers the experiences of eight international female graduate students of Color who are studying at a Midwestern predominantly White university. Utilizing Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Critical Race Feminism (CRF) as the theoretical and analytical lenses, this qualitative phenomenological study collected data through semi-structured, in-depth interviews. We explore the meaning of ethnic names and their connection to participants’ multidimensional identities. Findings include experiences with microaggressions, discrimination, and racism among students in relation to their ethnic name, and point to underlying factors. Finally, implications are offered for students, faculty members, and administrators to build authentically inclusive and equitable learning communities more effectively.

Diversifying the Field of Forestry Through a Graduate Fellowship Program: A Pilot Study on the Expectations of Students of Color

Abstract Overall interest and involvement in forestry is relatively low for students of color compared to other STEM programs. This exploratory study aims to further understand the reasons graduate students of color in a National Needs Fellowship (NNF) program decide to pursue a career in forestry. Initial survey data showed that graduate students of color are motivated by pursuing specific forestry topics in the field while also having differing expectations with regard to career and financial opportunities. The results of this study could provide ideas on opportunities NNF-funded and other programs can take to further support diversity in the field of forestry; however, more research is needed. Study Implications Given the results of this pilot study, it is important to note that students of color who accept a graduate fellowship do so with goals of exploring a particular interest in the field of forestry. An assumption also exists that their degrees and experiences in certain graduate fellowship programs will yield long-term benefits, such as employment opportunities and high salaries. However, additional information would be helpful in strengthening the results of this study, which could include increasing the number of participants for more quantitative data or collecting qualitative data to gather additional details and information on the survey responses.

Critical reflexión and plática∼testimonio/haki∼shahadat: Enacting decolonial praxis of solidarity from the Mexico-US borders to Palestine

In this plática, we share how we have deployed the methodologies of critical reflexión and plática ∼ testimonio/haki ∼ shahadat, which helped us enact a decolonial praxis of solidarity with intentional acts that grounded us in border thinking and opened the possibilities of creating an otherwise of love and harmony. We illustrate a praxis of solidarity stemming from our negotiation of differences, experiences of each other/beside each other in different moments and different sites of resistance inside and outside academia. Part of this praxis is exemplified in our co-femtoring other colleagues, faculty, and graduate students of Color and co-teaching/co-creating digital testimonios in the classroom. We also illustrate an interdependent solidarity collaborating in a US Hispanic Serving Institution on Mexico-US borders and in Cairo, Egypt and co-teaching/co-learning Palestine historically and at another moment of genocide. Inside and outside academia, we do our solidarity expansively, in purposeful, reciprocal, interdependent ways.

Work-Life Management Challenges for Graduate Students of Color at an HBCU During a Pandemic

This article expands the student work-life discussion to include nontraditional graduate students of color. The Afrocentric theory is used as a conceptual framework. A collaborative inquiry approach was used to capture the reflections and experiences of three urban graduate students of color matriculating at a historically Black university during a pandemic. Six themes emerged: COVID-19, ties that bind, financial responsibility, linked fate, mental and physical well-being, and student work-life management. The article concludes with implications for education, research, and policy.