“I Wasn’t Supposed to Be There”: Examining the Experiences of First-Generation Women of Color in Undergraduate STEM Majors

ABSTRACT

Using intersectionality and ecological frameworks, this study explored the experiences of 22 first-generation Women of Color (FGWOC+) STEM college students at two predominantly white institutions. Participants were part of the NSSA, which supports marginalized students’ persistence in STEM. Four themes were generated that relate to negotiating the expectations of white majority spaces and family and community relationships. For practice, policy, and research, student affairs professionals and faculty members play critical roles in mentoring and supporting students toward persistence and graduation. The findings also lead to implications for career planning and development of FGWOC+ STEM students.

KEYWORDS:

• Career development
• Women of Color
• first-generation college student
• STEM
• sense of belonging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We choose to not capitalize white to not elevate whiteness and rather to emphasize the lived experiences of our first-generation Women of Color participants.

2. We use Latine to describe the multifaceted gender identity of Latino/a/x individuals in the United States and globally. When it refers to our participants’ self-reported identities, we use language consistent with what they reported (e.g., Latina).

Additional information

Funding

Our work, as part of a larger study, was funded by the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), National Science Foundation grant #1712619, with additional support from 3 M foundation and partner institutions