Empowering Excellence: Cultivating Safe and Supportive Environments for Black Doctoral Students

• In Event: Supporting Peer Mentorship for Doctoral Scholarly Development

Abstract

Objective and Purpose
According to the National Science Foundation, in 2021, only 7.7 percent of all doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens that year went to African Americans. (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 2022). Only a small number of studies investigate the factors that shape the experiences and persistence of doctoral students, particularly those from minority groups (Fountaine, 2012). While research has compared the experiences of Black students at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) or historically white institutions (HWIs) to those at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) (DeSousa & Kuh, 1996; Patterson-Stewart et al, 1997) much of the research falls short in understanding the successes and challenges of Black doctoral students during their doctoral matriculation. This inquiry addresses a gap in the literature by exploring how the challenges of a Black first-generation doctoral student can be overcome through creating supportive learning spaces in PWIs.
Theoretical Framework
This study was informed by concepts grounded in doctoral student identity to explore the doctoral student experience (Leshem, 2020), and examines the academic support available to doctoral students, often associated with socialization (Felder et. al, 2014). Additionally, the paper utilizes intersectionality theory (Crenshaw, 2013), a sociological framework that explains how individuals' social and political identities intersect to create varying levels of privilege and discrimination, often described as 'interlocking' systems of oppression.
Methods of Inquiry
Methodologically, this inquiry utilizes autoethnography (Adams et. al, 2014) a genre of academic writing that analyzes and interprets the lived experiences of the authors as researchers. Through a series of meaning making, reflections, and journal writing as data collection, the narratives illustrate overcoming the challenges experienced in the doctoral journey and the intersections between self and community. This inquiry addresses the question: How does a first-generation Black doctoral student overcome the challenges encountered in a predominantly white institution?
Results and Scholarly Significance
The result of these inquiry highlights two major themes: 1) Overcoming hurdles in the research writing process while enhancing my research skills. 2) Navigating the graduate academic space through well-being and community support. Normalizing the challenges of graduate students through dialogues with faculty and peer mentors disrupted self-doubt and reframed struggle as a productive part of the doctoral journey rather than a limitation. Creating space to affirm doctoral students’ potential and competence further catalyzed excellence. When mentors normalize struggles in doctoral education, challenges are not viewed as personal deficits but as areas of growth within a supportive community. Such psychosocial support and affirmation go a long way in building confidence to meet doctoral milestones.

Author

• Alaysia Shunice Bookal, The George Washington University