2: Making Space in Narrow Rooms: The Role of Intersectional Mentoring on Program Completion

Colleges and universities have historically been designed to meet the needs of traditional students across its courses, advising, and other systems of support (Bensimon, 2007; Collins et al., 2021; Hurst et al., 2024). However, data continue to show an increase in the matriculation of post‑traditional students for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Graduate programs are attracting students who attend their program’s courses part-time, work full‑time jobs, and care for their families (Briscoe et al., 2024; Gildersleeve et al., 2011; Offerman, 2011). Additionally, post‑traditional students often possess intersectional identities (Soares et al., 2017). Consequently, these students may experience greater difficulties due to the increased and overlapping discrimination that can negatively impact people with intersecting identities, particularly within settings organized around the idealized characteristics of an archetypal, traditional student (Beckwith, 2023; Evitts & Evitts, 2022; Hittepole, 2019; Patton & Haynes, 2018).