CHAPTER 8: I ONCE WAS LOST . . . BUT NOW I’M EMBRACING SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE

The journey to successfully completing a doctoral program can be a long and arduous journey (Mujtaba, Scharff, Cavico, & Mujtaba, 2008). Mentoring and academic support can espouse a learning environment that is both nurturing and motivating for the scholar, especially for one who is also charged with the responsibilities of working a full time job, raising a family, and determining how to finance their “lofty” endeavor (Spaulding & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012). Minority students attending predominantly White institutions (PWI) are often not privy to authentic mentoring and encouragement nor provided sage counsel that assuages anxiety and develops a sense of self-efficacy (Gonsalves, 2014). Attitudes of indifference are often the effect many African American scholars lament about when describing mentoring or advising during their doctoral journeys, as well as the overall lack of support within the milieu of scholarly pursuits that include getting published and seeking academic appointments (Zambrana et al., 2015).