Emerging research has explored the psychological and emotional challenges undocumented students encounter while accessing higher education, yet few studies have specifically investigated the factors that facilitate success once admitted. Semistructured interviews with former or current undocumented students suggest that factors such as mentors, individual resiliency, and the ganas to succeed affect students' navigation strategies in higher education. Interviewees suggest solutions to institutional barriers that mitigate the negative effects of immigration status. Resumen Investigación emergente ha explorado los retos psicológicos y emocionales que estudiantes indocumentados encuentran al aproximarse a la educación superior; sin embargo pocos estudios han investigado específicamente los factores que facilitan éxito despues del registro. Entrevistas semiestructuradas con estudiantes indocumentados del presente y el pasado sugieren que factores como tutores, fortaleza individual, y las ganas de tener éxito afectan estrategias de navegación en educación superior. Entrevistados sugieren soluciones a las barreras institucionales para mitigar los efectos negativos del estado migratorio.
While research has documented the tremendous success of graduate-level Bridge programs for boosting the numbers of minoritized students earning doctorates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, less is understood about the challenges participants face along their graduate journey while participating in Bridge programs. Anzalduán concepts including nepantla frame minoritized STEM Bridge students’ experiences. This study included interviews with 29 student participants (the majority of whom were African American or Latina/o/x1) and 19 faculty mentors or staff program coordinators drawn from five Bridge-to-the-Doctorate STEM programs. Participants described two key challenges: (a) othering by non-bridge peers and (b) intense scrutiny by faculty and staff. Findings show that the presence of Bridge programs alone does not disrupt traditional norms and practices in STEM fields. Implications are discussed for intentionally constructing graduate Bridge programs and supporting departments as they strive to improve inclusion and equity within graduate STEM education.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.