Leveraging Familial Capital to Improve Graduate Students Experiences

Graduate programs have increasingly sought to implement research-supported, practices and policies that improve experiences for physics graduate students. In this presentation, I will share a study that contributes to the growing body of work on improving graduate education by examining the role of familial capital—knowledge, values, and support systems derived from kinship and community—in the experiences of students in physics bridge programs. Our findings highlight the importance of recognizing and valuing familial capital in graduate education policies and practices. We propose actionable recommendations, including institutional support for maintaining familial connections, milestone celebrations that are open to family, and financial support for graduate students. By integrating familial capital into departmental structures, physics graduate programs can create more supportive environments that acknowledge and leverage the strengths marginalized students bring to academia.