Abstract
Higher education has gradually grown into a means of passage for upward social mobility, particularly for those who come from historically marginalized communities, such as first-generation, low-income, non-traditional, and minority college students. Latinas are the youngest, fastest growing subgroup in the nation encompassing 16% of the female population—and are the least educated (Castellanos, Gloria, & Kamimura, 2006; Motel & Patten, 2013). Latinas and other women of color “experience multiple marginality” and are often presented with additional layers of complexity in their day-to-day professional lives (Turner, 2002, p. 76). Challenges women encounter include balancing a job, a family, a career, and college responsibilities (Furst-Bowe & Dittmann, 2001; Kramarae, 2001). The point that echoes in research are the obstacles women find when they attempt dual social roles (Stalker, 2001). Research has determined success factors and barriers that first-generation Chicana/Latina women experience as students at higher education institutions as undergraduates. Studies have also identified specific barriers student mothers face as college students. However, research has yet to determine which specific barriers first generation Chicana/Latina student mothers experience in their first year of a graduate program, as well as investigate what strategies these women used to overcome those barriers. The study used a qualitative method to conduct research on first-generation Chicana/Latina student mothers who had completed their first year of a graduate program. A face-to-face interview was used with open-ended questions. Three students participated in the research. This research identified some of the shared challenges, characteristics, and experiences that first-generation Chicana/Latina mothers face during the first year of a graduate program while raising a child(ren), which were difficulty balancing multiple roles, issues with childcare, and encountering feelings of guilt. The research also identified motivational and success factors that helped this population of students persist successfully through their first year of a graduate program despite the challenges they encountered. Those motivational and success factors attributed to a strong family support system and positive self-affirmations.