"The Burden of Making Ourselves Palatable": Reflections From First-Year Doctoral Women of Color

• In Event: Educational Experiences of Girls and Women of Color

Abstract

As Women of Color (WOC) first-year doctoral students, we often found ourselves sitting in our office spaces discussing our racialized and gendered experiences wondering if we were being “too critical” or “too radical” for speaking up and challenging our oppressive experiences within the classroom, program, and institution. The purpose of this duoethnography is to understand the shared and distinctive relationships Women of Color across racial identities have within their institution during their first year enrolled in a higher education and student affairs doctoral program? The research question guiding this investigation includes: How does a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) support Women of Color (WOC) graduate students as they navigate their first year in a doctoral program?

Authors

• Rebecca Cepeda, The Ohio State University

• Erin Monique Satterwhite, The Ohio State University