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This phenomenological study examines the positive and adverse experiences full-time Latinx PhD students have in mentoring relationships with faculty of Color at a historically white Research-Intensive University in the Southwest, United States. These scholars are an essential group that faces distinct challenges in graduate education and remain underrepresented, with only 7.2% of all doctorate degrees obtained and constituting merely 4% of all faculty. Faculty mentoring requires a degree of care and commitment rather than a casual or "strictly business" approach, especially for racially minoritized students. Findings reveal the need for faculty mentors to humanize and validate their advisees' individual experiences and goals while simultaneously incorporating the holistic person their doctoral students enter with at their respective academic programs. Recommendations are shared for institutional agents at all levels.

Very little is known about the experiences of college students with criminal records (CSCR), an underrepresented and minoritized student population. This study utilized a constructivist qualitative methodology to understand the experiences of four CSCRs pursuing higher education. The participant perspectives yielded three noteworthy findings that contribute to limited literature on the experiences of CSCRs. The findings highlight CSCRs’ introduction to higher education, their initial feelings prior to pursuing postsecondary education, and background checks that pose as barriers. Based upon these findings, we are able to understand why supportive networks, specialized resources, and academic assistance are needed for CSCRs.

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