More Than Promises, Más que Promesas

“More than promises, Más que Promesas” uses LatCrit as a lens to understand the cultural and social impacts students experience in PWI and HSI-designated universities. It focuses on the nuanced trials and successes experienced by doctoral students of color within the Doctoral Students of Color (DSoC) organization—a collaborative and intersectional student-created affinity group at The University of Colorado Denver| Anschutz (CU Denver). Central to the organization’s tenets and the research team’s relationship, DSoC fosters affirming peer, alumni, and faculty mentorship. It expands conversations regarding academic success by enhancing increased access to interactions of allyship and builds a sense of community—underscoring the importance of having a sense of belonging and increased research and professional opportunities while at CU Denver. Using personal narrative inquiry, this chapter aims to illuminate both individual and collective experiences and offers a pathway informed by insights and best practices gathered from our ongoing qualitative study of doctoral students of color experiences. This study proposes actions that the authors continue to strive for, including the forming of a student affinity group and its pivotal role, additional academic support and scholarship, a culturally sustaining curriculum, and course releases for faculty mentors.