Between Access and Absence: Latino/x Men’s Search for Faculty Mentorship in Doctoral Economics

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Mentoring Pathways from K-12 to Graduate Studies

Abstract

Latino/x men remain significantly underrepresented in economics Ph.D. programs, where formal mentorship is often absent and institutional support limited. This narrative inquiry explores how three Latino men at research-intensive universities navigate mentorship in the absence of assigned advisors. Guided by Validation Theory, the study examines how participants seek faculty relationships, interpret validation, and confront exclusionary departmental norms. Findings reveal that students engage in strategic, emotionally laborious efforts to access mentorship, often without cultural affirmation or guidance. Their experiences highlight the structural inequities embedded in doctoral training and demonstrate the need for intentional, identity-affirming mentorship practices.

Author

• Edgar Fidel Lopez, California State University - Northridge