ObjectiveIdentify the role(s) and support(s), if any, that family members provide to first‐generation and historically marginalized doctoral students, including strengths and challenges of this support.BackgroundNonfinancial family support is important for the success and retention of first‐generation and historically marginalized graduate students. More empirical studies of the role(s) and support of family members of these doctoral students are needed.MethodDuring an intervention designed for first‐generation and historically marginalized doctoral students and their families, we conducted four focus groups with doctoral students (n = 22) and three focus groups with the family members they chose to accompany them (n = 15). Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsTwo themes emerged from the data: support and connection. In addition to providing distinct types of support, families play both supportive and connective roles. There are challenges to family roles and support in areas such as communication, doctoral student stress, and different ways that family members and doctoral students think about and approach life.ConclusionThe study provided key insights to understanding the roles and support of family of doctoral students; more efforts are needed across graduate schools in the United States.ImplicationsFamily science faculty and graduate schools may collaborate to provide meaningful interventions for graduate students and their families for the goal of promoting graduate student retention and success.

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The practice of critically reflexive feminist autoethnographyor connecting one's personal experiences and beliefs to professional and political processes-can be a challenging and often invisible process. Nonetheless, it is a method worthy of engagement, given the impact one's positionality often has on one's scholarship. In this article, I reflect on how I understand myself as an intersectional Black, bisexual woman. Furthermore, I discuss the ways in which the personal relates to my professional and political academic life. In making broader connections to larger societal forces, I discuss how I came to study diverse individuals and families with intersecting identities and outline my struggles with my own academic growth and scholastic improvement. I also unpack the uncertainties I have faced in attempting to find my place in academia. Finally, for other intersectional scholars, I offer some suggestions for self-reflection on research and practice within the academy.

Undergraduates are becoming an increasingly more diverse group in many aspects. As the landscapes of U.S. society and higher education classrooms change, so must teaching – to incorporate a more culturally competent pedagogy. Cultural competence discourse has been found to be beneficial for teachers, students, and clients in the helping professions. However, discussing cultural competency in the classroom can be challenging to implement. Successful cultural competency discourse requires skilled teachers, invested students, and supportive institutions. The authors provide background literature around the development, benefits, and challenges associated with cultural competency discourse. Additionally, they provide their own personal experiences and offer some suggestions for best practice in encouraging and facilitating the discussion of cultural competency in the classroom.

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