Exploring the hidden labor of historically excluded students in design education

This study presents findings from in-depth interviews with 13 students from historically excluded backgrounds studying design at a predominantly white university in the United States. The interviews revealed a covert dimension of labor—physical, financial, and emotional—that students from historically excluded backgrounds must navigate alongside the rigorous demands of design school. Using a qualitative interview methodology, the study foregrounds the unique, intersectional perspectives of students often generalized in broader discourse. Four core concepts emerged: a sense of separateness from the culture of design, challenges associated with family support, mistreatment in studio environments, and exhibited coping strategies. The behaviors cannot be understood solely through psychological or interpersonal understandings. Instead, they must be viewed through the specific power dynamics of the design studio, informed by the legacy of colonialism and Western-centric design epistemologies.