Cultivating an Academic Familia Jessica Rivera, PhD; Igdalia Covarrubias, Monica Quezada, Hannah Reyes Doctoral Students, Higher Education
Jessica: Leaving Texas to start a doctoral program wasn’t an easy decision. As a Latina, it’s always been hard to leave home because I come from a close-knit family. Although my parents were supportive, I couldn’t help but feel guilty that I was leaving my family. My family instilled values of working collaboratively. These values are at odds with those of academia that reward independence and competition. While my family offered support by listening to challenges I faced, there were times I needed help in ways they couldn’t understand. I then realized how important it is to cultivate an academic familia. Every year, doctoral programs bring about challenges which require distinct types of support. During my first year, I leaned on my cohort and students ahead of me in the program to help me navigate graduate school. They mentored me and explained the politics of higher education. For this article, I interviewed three amazing Latinas in my academic familia. Here’s what they had to say! What does an academic familia mean to you? Igdalia: In the academic space, familia includes shared meaning and understanding of what it means to be a Latinx student in a doctoral program. As someone who moved more than 2,000 miles away from home (California to Ohio), I can say that I wouldn’t have made the move if I hadn’t seen other Latinx students who looked like me in these spaces. To say you’re a doctoral student is one thing, but to say you’re a Latinx doctoral student es otra cosa; it’s beyond the norm. Monica: My academic familia are those outside of my immediate family who are genuinely interested in supporting my academic success. My academic familia includes peers (academic siblings), faculty and staff (academic aunts and uncles) who have provided me with resources, words of encouragement, and care to help me get through challenges to succeed in college. It’s also important to me to mirror the support of other members of my academic familia. It’s a community that continues to grow. Hannah: Originally from Texas, I didn't expect to meet people like me in my program. The roots of my academic family tree sprouted before I set foot in Ohio. It started with Jessica, mentioning my name in rooms of opportunity, though we'd only exchanged emails. It started with Monica, sitting in a Zoom room where we talked about our fears of uprooting ourselves as new PhD admits but promising to look out for each other always. It started with Igdalia, who didn’t let me go a week without asking about my doctoral transition. Now, it’s continuing with us having impromptu karaoke nights, enjoying homemade flan, and exploring new parts of the world. Having an academic familia means I can dream bigger, aim higher, and exist more boldly.
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