“ <i>¿Qué Estoy Haciendo Aquí?</i> (What Am I Doing Here?)”: Chicanos/Latinos(as) Navigating Challenges and Inequalities During Their First Year of Graduate School

Abstract

Based on in-depth qualitative interviews, this study analyzed the challenges and structural inequities that Chicanos/Latinos(as) encountered and resisted during their first year of graduate school. Grounded in intersectionality theory, this study analyzed how race, class, and gender inequalities that are embedded in the graduate schooling process impinged on first-year Chicano/Latino(a) doctoral students. Findings reveal that academic transition challenges; isolation and alienation; clashes with traditional academic culture and the graduate school curriculum; and racist, sexist, and classist microaggressions constituted the most salient hurdles for Chicanos/Latinos(as) as they transitioned into graduate study. Respondents, however, challenged these structural inequalities through their deployment of various resistance strategies. Overall, the study underscores the importance of both analyzing the first-year doctoral education experience of Chicanos/Latinos(as) and utilizing intersectionality theory for analyzing Chicanos/Latinos(as)’ educational experiences.