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How to be True to Yourself in Academic Spaces

Estimated reading time ~ 5 min
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Latinx students studying (CC: Adobe Stock Images)

As an academic faculty member who has spent years in a research-intensive doctoral program, I have seen countless students from minority backgrounds struggle to navigate spaces that were built to exclude them. Many of these students tell me they have been advised to "just play the game” — meaning understand the rules, attitudes, and norms around them and follow suit. But that doesn’t come easy to everyone.

Many of these students, especially those who come from underrepresented racial backgrounds, struggle with the idea of boxing away their values and identities in order to succeed. And I agree with their reluctance. Through my own journey, I’ve learned that enforced conformity is a trap and the idea that young people need to hide who they are for someone else’s comfort can cause more harm than good. When you aren’t true to yourself, you can experience feelings of isolation and confusion, not to mention reinforce the belief that the majority is always better.

I now encourage all students who are entering or continuing their academic journeys to think differently about what it means to find success. Higher education isn’t only an academic journey but a personal one. You learn who you are along the way, your strengths and weaknesses, build resilience, and about who you are as a person. Ahead, I reflect on five ways students can make that journey in a way that has integrity for them.

Focus on who you are, not who you are told to be.

Every year, I see students from underrepresented backgrounds struggle within their new academic homes. I can relate; my experiences were similar during my initial years as a doctoral student. I found myself questioning my culture, values, and habits, and as time passed, my sense of identity began to fall apart. Few students of color like me were present in these spaces and I began to feel isolated. The people who understood me the most were on the other side of the country. I had plenty of classmates but few friends with whom I could connect on a deeper level. I felt adrift without the networks that had sustained me in the past.

In time, I came to realize that our environments do not define who we are. Students have academic responsibilities, of course, but they can also choose who they want to be and the values they uphold. Those areas may be challenged inside dorms and even throughout classroom curricula — but that makes it even more important for minority students to hone in on what really matters to them, even in spaces that may not value the same things. You can do this by actively exploring what makes you happy, even what receives little validation from others. At other times, if you feel comfortable doing so, that might mean explicitly standing up for your culture and educating your peers so that your identity isn’t something hidden, rather a part of you that shines even in restrictive academic spaces.

Reframe difference as a strength rather than a weakness.

One of the most eye-opening experiences students from minority backgrounds, especially first-generation scholars, have is realizing how “different” they are from the majority groups. I never imagined how much my own upbringing, values, and understanding of generational oppression and discrimination would give me a different perspective from that of my peers in my doctoral program. At the time, I internalized those differences as me being wrong. Now, I understand that different doesn’t mean wrong — and in fact, can be an asset in academic spaces.

It can be exhausting to deal with more privileged peers and see your own background as a strength by comparison, but the point of academia is to explore and grow intellectually. Rather than always focusing on the emotional impact of being different (which is hard, I know), consider what brought you to this space in the first place and how your unique perspective helps you achieve that purpose. If anything, reframing your difference as a positive rather than a negative can help instill a sense of pride, resilience, and motivation within you. I learned not to label these perceptions as negative, but rather fuel my value and purpose to continue to reach forward.

Stay in the present.

As a trained clinical psychologist in a counseling psychology program, I have learned that one of the greatest skills a person struggling with issues of identity in hostile spaces can do is sit in the present. Many people get so caught up in the moment that they keep trying to solve everything rather than taking a moment to be still. Others fall into nostalgia and get stuck in the past. And, still, other people become disillusioned and begin to question their academic goals and choices.

Instead of always trying to fix something or hunt down a situation, know that it is okay to slow down and not have answers. You’re allowed to take time to pay attention to your thoughts, explore your reactions, and work through how you might grow. Sitting with your emotions isn’t the same thing as being resigned; it is refusing to be immediately reactionary as soon as a new challenge arises.

Seek out or create welcoming spaces.

Instead of acculturating or assimilating in different spaces, why not create spaces that inform and educate others about your identities? Most academic systems may not represent the cultures of black and brown people but you can still carve out places that will feed and encourage you. If you can’t find these places, create them. You may be the first to open the door but you definitely won’t be the last person to enter.

Start by thinking about your passions, interests, and hobbies. Search online and reach out to people who are already doing these things so you can build together, or ask for informal meetings in which you can learn from others and build relationships. As a student, I saw these opportunities were largely absent on my campus, so I sought them out elsewhere and became more invested in spaces off campus. I began to volunteer in programs that championed the values of my community back home and, most importantly, motivated me to keep moving forward.

Know your audience.

The biggest contribution students can make is to advocate for their values. Many students from marginalized groups already want to be a voice for their communities only to learn that doing so is tricky. You have to do so in a way that isn’t harmful to the people you want to help in the first place, as well as understand how to navigate the backlash that may arise. When I was a Ph.D. student, I recall that I was perceived as defiant, inattentive, or unreceptive to feedback at times. Other students faced outright hostility.

I quickly realized that I was advocating to the wrong ears — ones that didn’t want to listen to what I had to say in the first place. Then I learned that seeking allies and evaluating better spaces in which I could be heard was the way to go. I focused on building up those relationships on and off campus and finding ways to bring my knowledge back and forth between those spheres.

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