Chapter 8: Still I Rise: An Early-Career African-American Female Scholar’s Told Truths on Surviving Academia

Little research exists on young female scholars’ experiences in the academy (Sherman, Beaty, Crum & Peters, 2010), especially African-American women. Specifically, there is limited data which currently inform the literature about the doctoral preparation experiences of African-American female doctoral students for progression toward tenure-track faculty careers at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and the connection to their successful transition to faculty in educational leadership programs at PWIs (Grant, 2012; Grant & Simmons, 2008). This article is an attempt to fill that void. Using scholarly personal narrative (Ellis & Bochner, 2003), an early-career African-American female tenure-track faculty in educational leadership, shares her doctoral preparation experience for entry into the professoriate at a PWI. Findings from the experience narrative are situated in critical pedagogies and link mentoring to successful progression from doctoral student to tenure track faculty in educational leadership at a PWI. Strategies are offered to aid African-American women with successful entry into the academy (Grant, 2012; Grant & Simmons, 2008).