Skip to main content

Stepping Away from My Comfort Zone

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
From Student to Scholar
  • 297 Accesses

Abstract

A mentor and mentee relationship thrives when both parties have established mutual respect and a genuine bond (Shah in Am Stat 71:1–2, 2017). This indispensable relationship is especially imperative for doctoral students of color. Each of my mentors were wonderful assets that contributed to my success as a Black female doctoral student at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). I credit positive mentoring relationships with inspiring me to believe in myself and recognize my sense of belonging. These positive mentoring relationships gleaned from White faculty and faculty of color. The stages of Black American Racial Identity Development are used to share specific accounts of how effective mentoring benefited me as a doctoral student of color at a PWI.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bertrand, M. (2014). Reciprocal dialogue between educational decision makers and students of color: Opportunities and obstacles. Educational Administration Quarterly, 50(5), 812–843.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bracey, E. N. (2014). The state of Black education: The politics of educating African American students at colleges and universities. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 3(2), 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunsma, D. L., Embrick, D. G., & Shin, J. H. (2017). Graduate students of color: Race, racism, and mentoring in the White waters of academia. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 3(1), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cartledge, G., Sentelle, J., Loe, S., Lambert, M. C., & Reed, E. S. (2001). To be young, gifted, and black a case study of positive interventions within an inner-city classroom of African American students. Journal of Negro Education, 70(4), 243–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cross, W. E. (1991). Shades of Black: Diversity in African-American identity. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, E. M. (2001). The impact of race and gender on graduate school socialization, satisfaction with doctoral study, and commitment to degree completion. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 25(1), 30–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh, R. (2014). Antecedents of mentoring support: A meta-analysis of individual, relational, and structural or organizational factors. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(3), 367–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, E. (2013). The experiences of minority doctoral students at elite research institutions. In K. A. Holley & J. Joseph (Eds.), Increasing diversity in doctoral education: Implications for theory and practice (pp. 77–88). San Francisco: Wiley, Incorporated.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holley, K. A., & Caldwell, M. L. (2012). The challenges of designing and implementing a doctoral student mentoring program. Innovative Higher Education, 37(3), 243–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, H. A., Perrin, P. B., Heller, M. B., Hailu, S., & Barnett, C. (2018). Black psychology graduate students’ lives matter: Using informal mentoring to create an inclusive climate amidst national race-related events. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 49(1), 75–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, M. E., Eby, L. T., & Ragins, B. R. (2015). My mentor, my self: Antecedents and outcomes of perceived similarity in mentoring relationships. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 89(C), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, M., & Flowers, L. A. (2003). The effects of racial identity on academic achievement and perceptions of campus connectedness on African American students at predominately White institutions. College Student Affairs Journal, 22(2), 180–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roche, J. (2013). The empress has no clothes: Conquering self-doubt to embrace success (1st ed., BK business book). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samuel, R., & Kohun, F. G. (2010). Managing perceived coping behavior while mentoring doctoral students. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 5, 29–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shah, A. (2017). What is mentoring? The American Statistician, 71(1), 1–2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sinanan, A. (2016). The value and necessity of mentoring African American college students at PWI’s. Journal of Pan African Studies, 9(8), 155–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wegmann, K. M. (2017). Measuring social support and school belonging in Black/African American and White children. Research on Social Work Practice, 27(5), 582–593.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. L., & Nichols, T. M. (2012). Black women’s experiences with racial microaggressions in college: Making meaning at the crossroads of race and gender. In C. R. Chambers & R. V. Sharpe (Eds.), Black female undergraduates on campus: Successes and challenges (pp. 75–95). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Irenea Walker .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Walker, I. (2020). Stepping Away from My Comfort Zone. In: Chapman, D., Wilkerson, A. (eds) From Student to Scholar. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42081-9_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42081-9_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-42080-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-42081-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics