No Soy Intrusa: Testimonios of Latina Doctoral Students

The number of Latinas who earn a doctoral degree has increased steadily in the United States, however, the numbers fail to describe the experiences of doctoral Latina students. The qualitative pilot study was conceived from a graduate Mexican American Studies course project. The study collected testimonio of three Latina doctoral students enrolled in a counseling program at a public university in Texas. Platica was utilized in the research methodology and design, a mutualistic approach that honors the participants testimonio instead of the classic approach of extracting information from the participants. Latino Critical Theory and Theory in the Flesh were used as theoretical perspectives to analyze the student’s testimonios. Several themes emerged that align with previous research including imposter syndrome, cultural incongruity, navigating higher education systems, peer, and faculty mentoring. Implications include demystifying higher education and dismantling outdated application requirements and student recruitment. Future research is recommended to examine the relationship between student achievement and support for cultural duality including language from doctoral program and faculty. Key Terms: Latina doctoral students, platica, testimonio, LatCrit, Theory in the Flesh, Intrus