Navigating Social And Academic Spaces As A Non-Traditional Student In A Doctoral Program: An Autoethnography

This autoethnography examines my personal, professional, and academic experiences throughout my educational journey, aiming to address gaps in scholarly literature relevant to non-traditional students at all educational levels, particularly at the doctoral level. As a non-traditional student, I have encountered significant challenges during my academic career. I have often felt like an outsider due to my age, generational gap, and educational background. The impostor phenomenon has intensified my feelings of being an outcast, even though I have had a prosperous professional career. I have drawn upon my memories, reflections, narratives, scholarly literature, documents, and personal artifacts to provide a comprehensive account of my journey. By revisiting moments from my distant past, immediate past, and present, I hope readers will vividly experience the trauma, insecurities, anxiety, joy, personal satisfaction, and moments of happiness I have encountered in my social and academic spaces. I have examined how the impostor phenomenon can exacerbate anxiety and other mental health challenges (Thompson et al., 2000). Additionally, I explored how validation, resilience, spiritual resilience, and self-determination can influence the success of non-traditional students in earning their doctoral degrees. This research has been guided by Constructivist epistemology and framed by the Theory of Reflexivity. Through analyzing and interpreting my behaviors, thoughts, and experiences concerning others in society, I have gained insights that can contribute to systemic changes and enhance professional doctoral degree programs, especially for non-traditional students. Keywords: autoethnography, non-traditional student, impostor phenomenon, validation, resilience, resilience in spirituality, social and academic spaces