"We Never Really Graduate From Being First-Gen”: Navigation and Resistance of Latin*, First-Generation Doctoral Students

• In Event: Disrupting the Narrative: Diverse Perspectives on First-Generation College Student Transitions Across the P–20 Pipeline

Abstract

Latin* first-generation students are significantly underrepresented in doctoral degree attainment. The doctoral degree attainment rate for Latin* is among the lowest at 0.7% for Latin* 25 and older (American Council on Education [ACE], 2017). First-generation students are less likely to enroll and complete doctoral education (Lovitts, 2001; Roksa et al., 2018). Furthermore, almost half of Latin* are first-generation students, and a significant percentage come from low-income families (Postsecondary National Policy Institute [PNPI], 2021). Thus, first-generation status and economic class are important components of understanding Latin* students’ experiences.

Latin* first-generation doctoral students encounter many challenges such as underrepresentation (Ramirez, 2014), lack of faculty mentorship (Ramirez, 2017), feelings of otherness (Gardner, 2013; Gibbons et al., 2016), inadequate doctoral socialization (Ramirez, 2017), lack of sense-of-belonging (Gardner & Holley, 2011), and lack of research, teaching, and networking exposure (Ramirez, 2014, 2017). Despite these challenges, research has demonstrated how Latin* doctoral students employ resistance strategies to counter the discrimination and barriers they face (e.g., Espino, 2014; Ramirez, 2014, 2017; Ramos & Torres-Fernandez, 2020).

While research on doctoral education is vast, few studies have focused on the intersectional experiences of an underrepresented population in doctoral degree attainment, that of Latin* first-generation doctoral students (e.g., Bañuelos & Flores, 2021; Paxton, 2020; Perez-Holt, 2022; Terán López, 2022). Therefore, the purpose of my study was to utilize Chicana/Latina feminist theory, Latino critical race theory, and community cultural wealth to understand how 20 Latin* first-generation doctoral students experienced their identities, navigated their doctoral programs in the field of education at a research-intensive historically White institution in Texas, and how they may have employed resistance against challenges they faced. While attempting to understand the collaborators' experiences within these contexts, I also sought to understand how institutional agents may have exacerbated social inequities that place these students in a position where they have no choice but to be resilient.

I used a Chicana feminist plática methodology to center the lived experiences of Latin* first-generation doctoral students. Pláticas include everyday conversations and are rooted in relationality, respect, and vulnerability (Burciaga & Tavares, 2006, p. 805). They involve the “oral tradition of sharing one’s life experiences as well as a process of self-discovery that happens in dialogue with others” (Espino et al., 2010; Guajardo & Guajardo, 2013, as cited in Flores & Morales, 2021, p. 36).

Findings from this study demonstrate that first-generation student status played a significant role in how these Latin* students experienced their doctoral programs. Findings also revealed how collaborators were able to utilize strengths from their Latin* and first-generation identities to persist and resist within their programs. A significant contribution of this study was utilizing the Chicana/Latina feminist plática methodology, which had yet to be used to understand this topic. This methodology allowed me to center my experiences as a Latina first-generation student. This study fills the gap in the existing literature to understand how Latin* first-generation doctoral students experience their identities, navigate doctoral education, and how they resist oppressive institutional structures.

Author

• Alicia Moreno, Trinity University (TX)