The work to be presented is a component of a larger effort to ensure the presence of women of color, particularly those of African descent, thriving in STEM research careers. Because of the national urgency to replenish the science pipeline, address problems facing the STEM workforce and achieve ethnic and gender parity in the sciences, the Women of Color Legacy project (WCL) examines strategies that allow students of color to successfully matriculate through STEM graduate programs. In particular, the presentation will focus on the role of community as determined through focus groups involving students in STEM graduate programs who identify with one or more underrepresented racial-ethnic group. The focus groups examined 1) the role of a student’s undergraduate experience in developing their identity and preparing them for graduate studies, 2) the desire and ability of a student to be part of a community while enrolled in a graduate program, and 3) the student’s experience in the graduate program. The conversations were held at four, research-intensive institutions. The information gained highlights the need for communities at the graduate level that respond to the students’ unique identities and promote the success of students of color in graduate programs.

Community: Promoting the success of students of color in graduate programs

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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