Bridging the Gap: Institutional Strategies for Supporting Latina Graduate Students' Success

• In Event: 41061 - Section on Latina/o Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 1: Latinx in Higher Education: Experiences, Barriers, and Strategies for Success

Abstract

Several federally funded programs, like Upward and the McNair Scholars Program, help Latinas prepare for graduate studies (COE 2025). In addition to these programs, mentorship, in formal and informal settings, also serve as important agents in helping Latinas pursue advanced degrees (Buñuelos and Glena 2024; Contreras- Aguirre and Banda 2019). However, much of the institutional support is concentrated on undergraduate students. Therefore, Latina graduate students are often assumed to and left to figure out how to navigate their programs on their own. In this paper, I ask: How can institutions better support Latina graduate students? Especially during times when diversity and inclusion initiatives are under scrutiny and threatened to end, it is important to hold institutions accountable for supporting their students (Pedota et. al. 2025). Through 64 semi-structured interviews with Latina graduate students, I find that cultural affinity programs and spaces in addition to mentorship from Latino/a faculty help Latina students combat feelings of isolation and build community while receiving culturally competent guidance. Latina students also propose various recommendations for institutions, such as increasing funding opportunities, hiring faculty of color, and creating initiatives to integrate their families throughout their academic journeys. This paper aims to discuss what initiatives have helped Latina students preserve and how institutions can begin or continue to provide a holistic approach to providing academic, professional, and financial support. I present ideas for incorporating the suggestions that Latina students expressed in this study: transitional programs, cultural affinity programs, Latino/a faculty and faculty of color mentorship, funding opportunities, healthcare and mental health services, and family involvement.

Author

• Aidé Hernández, North Park University