Honors Theses

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Completion

5-2025

Academic Year

2024-2025

Department

​Behavioral Sciences

Academic Major

Psychology

Faculty Advisor

James Huff, Ph.D.

Abstract

Black female college students have experienced a marginalized history in STEM higher education. Although students associated with this identity are enrolling and earning college degrees at historic rates, there is a gap in the resources available, especially at predominantly white institutions (PWIs), for these students once they reach collegiate level. The goal of this study is to examine the role of mentorship in the lived experiences of Black women STEM students at PWIs. I used interpretive phenomenological analysis on transcribed interviews to examine psychological patterns, and then I carefully analyzed the phenomenon of being mentored. Through the analysis, I sought to understand whether mentorship existed, how they obtained it, and the influence it has on their overall experiences. Prior literature demonstrates how beneficial mentorship is in the success of a student’s collegiate career, especially with intersectional marginalized identities. In this thesis, I characterize the phenomenon of being mentored as experienced by Black female STEM students at PWIs, and I generated four overarching themes. The findings illustrate the following themes: (1) Navigating college environments with substantial pressure, (2) Experiencing marginalization in direct and indirect ways as Black women, (3) Taking charge in creating an active community, and (4) Claiming their rightful place in their STEM discipline. Through the insights from this research, I aim to cultivate individual and institutional strategies by which Black women can feel supported through mentorship. Considering the ubiquitous and covert narratives of Black women’s expectations of how they experience mentorship in STEM at their predominantly white institutions may provide greater insight into how to promote well-being and belonging for this population. These findings can help STEM departments in higher education implement opportunities for students to obtain mentoring positions and promote cross-racial and cross-gender allyship within mentoring and academic collaboration.

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