Mexicana scholars in the making: testimonios from the heartland

The last decade has seen an increase of research on the Latina/o educational experience spanning from Kindergarten to the undergraduate level. Scholars have also documented the experiences of Latinas in the academy in their role as faculty. However, there is still limited work on the lived experiences of Latinas in graduate school and more specifically the doctoral journey. Research on Latina/o subgroups, such as Mexican, Mexican American, Chicana, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and/or Salvadoran, is limited with the exception of interchanging labels such as Latina/Mexican American/Chicana. This research is also limited by the overrepresentation of geographical spaces such the Southwest – California and Texas in particular. In response to this gap in the literature this study focuses on first generation, low income, Latinas of Mexican descent in doctoral programs at public, Research I, Predominately White institutions (PWIs) in the Midwest. Using life history and testimonio as method(s) through Community Cultural Wealth model and a Chicana Feminist Epistemology (CFE) len(s), this study explores the ways five Mexicanas scholars develop strategies for navigating higher education and beyond such as the doctoral journey at a public, Research I, Predominately White institution (PWI) in the Midwest, also known as the Heartland. Taking into consideration the role that family, culture, gender, class, generation and their intersectionalities play in their formation as scholars. Furthermore, explores the impact of K – 16 experiences play in preparing them to navigate the graduate school experience and how current and past experiences influence their completion of the doctoral degree