Reflections on critical hope for building inclusive and equitable STEM postsecondary pathways

This final chapter offers the concept of critical hope as a vision and process for sustaining engagement in equity work - particularly in challenging contexts. While reflecting on the role of critical hope, the authors highlight themes presented in this book's chapters in addition to issues related to graduate student recruitment, admissions, and retention. Themes discussed include faculty as key levers in systemic change, evaluation as a strategy to improve practices, leveraging our spheres of influence, addressing the hidden curriculum, building belonging and community in STEM pathways, and the need for broader institutional support. Critical hope as a framework encourages us to recognize that to address systemic inequities, faculty and institutions must remain optimistic and also move forward critically and with caution, recognizing that social, political, and economic landscapes change, but everyone needs to continue to take a responsibility toward building more equitable post-secondary institutions and student pathways.