This chapter explores the doctoral experience of a Black cis-gendered female trauma survivor and single parent. It uplifts the author's emerging conceptual framework of Critical Post-Traumatic Growth (CTPG) which combines Critical Race Theory and Post-Traumatic Growth to provide a counter narrative to the dominant deficit-based view of trauma, providing emphasis on the author's agency and growth. Attention is given to the racialized trauma experienced within a predominantly white institution. CTPG provides eight tenets through which to examine one's lived experiences. The author also offers advice to other students of color on their own doctoral journey, by uplifting these tenets: context, suffering, identity, community, navigation, resistance, voice, and hope.