Abstract: Using Pierre Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction, this study examines how working-class women of color, specifically U.S. Latina and African American women, overcome racial-ethnic and social class disadvantages in school to get to the highest level of the educational system, doctoral studies. It introduces a new theoretical concept, 'pivotal moments,' to understand the academic success of women from working-class backgrounds. Pivotal moments are specific times when students first have access to educational social and cultural capital via an intensive academic social support intervention from an educational agent that launches them in a path of educational advancement. The timing of when these interventions happen are extremely significant during doctoral studies because they determine women's ability to organize their social support networks in graduate school in order to obtain the necessary professionalization to enter the academy. This dissertation is based on the analysis of interviews with fifty (50) women currently enrolled in highly selective graduate doctoral programs at private and public universities in Northern and Southern California. Eighteen (18) participants were white, twenty-four (24) were Latina, and eight (8) were African America. The study was limited to women who were at least in their second year of graduate school. A majority of women were enrolled in social science programs (84%), while the remaining were in the humanities (10%) or the natural sciences (6%). Study participants were an average of thirty one (31) years old. Three main findings emerge from this study. First, the timing of pivotal moments were important for working-class women across racial-ethnic groups. Women who experienced an early educational intervention accumulated more educational social and cultural capital that they accessed in educational contexts. Early pivotal moment women were better adjusted to graduate school and had more extensive social support networks. Late pivotal moment women were poorly adjusted to graduate school and had small social support networks. Additionally, women who had an early pivotal moment also reported more fellowships, grants, conference presentations, and publications. Second, pivotal moments were less critical for middle-class women of color. The timing of academic interventions for middle-class women of color was important but less significant because they had been able to progressively accumulate more educational social and cultural capital over time due to their social class backgrounds. Their racial-ethnic backgrounds did however affect their graduate school experiences and adjustment in a negative way. Third, pivotal moments were mostly absent among middle-class white women. Thus, an educational intervention was not as critical for women who already had advantages in school based on their race and social class. Overall, results from this dissertation suggest that educational institutions need to create opportunities to foster pivotal moments for working-class women of color early in their educational careers. The results advocate for the development of academic programs that train school agents to provide mentoring and informal social interaction opportunities to working-class students. These opportunities will help them develop social networks and acquire the social and cultural capital needed to become successful in school as they make their way through the educational pipeline. Finally, longitudinal research needs to be conducted in the future to measure the impact of pivotal moments on educational trajectories beyond doctoral education and into the academy.