The beauty of my doctoral program is that it was perfect for
someone who needed the flexibility of completing a degree while holding a full
time job. The downside was not having a set cohort to bond with, commiserate
with and motivate each other to a common goal: completing the doctoral degree.
What this means is that it then becomes essential to build your own supportive
network.The tricky part is that the people in this network need to understand
your unique circumstances. I would venture to say they also need to be one
with whom you can be vulnerable and ask questions without the fear of being perceived as incompetent.
This reminds me of a recent impromptu dinner gathering that
happened when I attended a national student affairs conference. A group of us who did not really know each
other before decided to go to dinner together.
It was a very comfortable conversation. We shared work and life
challenges and gave each other advice.
It was like we were old friends and could share our stories without fear
of being judged. What did we all have in common? We were all Latinas with a
shared understanding of the unique issues that we all face in higher education.
I feel the Facebook group has taken a life of
its own and has become a place where Latina scholars ask questions, celebrate
milestones and share challenges in a supportive and affirming environment. There is something
special about having a space to share these experiences, hopefully minimizing the
feelings of isolation and the lonely writing process. You can't find this kind
of network everywhere and if you don't find what you seek - create it!
So my advice to new (or not so new) doctoral students is to
get to know their fellow students and build a social support network as early
as possible. Find people with whom you have things in common. For example, if
you are a parent, find other parents; if you are juggling classes while working
full time, find others doing the same. There are so many commonalities that can
connect people enough to form that supportive self-created cohort that can lead
to successful completion of the doctoral degree.
I wish I had found this network earlier in my doctoral
program, but no need to lament at this point.
I have not only created the network I needed, but have fully thrived
through it and have finished collecting data and am on my way to writing my
final dissertation chapters. I have my
faculty, supportive family, helpful colleagues and the amazing online
network, Latinas Completing Doctoral Degrees to thank. Finally, the most important group to thank
are the amazing Latinas who agreed to be interviewed for my dissertation study.
I can’t wait to tell their stories, so on to coding and analyzing! (More about
that in my next blog post - stay tuned.)
