Blog
Find advice and follow the college experiences of our current first-gen student bloggers.
Life After College: Grad School? Career? Gap Year?
At the beginning of the summer, I was ready. I had a whole plan mapped out. My Original Plan Build my school list. Start prepping for the LSAT. Start drafting my personal statements. Reach out to potential recommenders by August. Take the LSAT in September....
I’m an Alum! Reflections after Graduation
I graduated this month. Honestly, I keep saying it and still don’t fully believe it. I’m officially a college graduate! I had a double major and graduated as a first-generation, Black, and queer alum of Susquehanna University. I walked the stage, took the photos, and...
Finding My Voice in Policy and Advocacy
Earlier this month, I stood at a podium in D.C. and told a room full of near-strangers why the Department of Education shouldn’t be erased. It was part of the COE TRiO Future Leaders Summit, during a mock congressional session where I spoke out against a bill that...
My Last (Amazing) Spring Break!
As an international student, spring break has always felt like one of those things you hear about in movies—but this year, I actually got to live it. And let me just say… it was magical! This was my first real spring break trip ever (and I’m graduating soon, this May,...
Spring Break and Midterms
March always feels like a blur. A tired, overstimulated, emotionally disjointed blur. Midterms showed up fast and hit hard. I’ve been bouncing between assignments, late nights, job apps, and trying to figure out whether I’m just tired, or if I’m on the edge of...
New Year, New Me
Hola! I am back to write another blog which will be about my new year resolutions. Can’t believe that we are in 2025. With this new year, I thought it would be fun to share my upcoming goals and aspirations. The first one is about looking after my mental...
Taking Up Space: Being Black and First-Gen at a PWI
It’s Black History Month, and while the campus flyers are out and the panel invites are rolling in, the truth of the matter is this: I carry this identity every single day, not just in February. Being Black, first-gen, genderqueer (and so many more intersecting...
From Rest to Reset: Transitioning From Winter Break to the New Semester
The three week long luxury of sleeping in comes to an end in mid-January as we return back to school from a well-deserved break. In high school, I remember classes being continuous from fall into spring semester, and winter break was a balance between spending time...
New Year, Same Me (and that’s Okay)
It’s the start of the new year, and honestly? I’m not interested in becoming a “new me.” I know this is the season where everyone starts posting goals and vision boards and the “new year, new me!” captions. I get the appeal, as there’s something comforting about the...
End-of-Semester Survival Guide: Finals and Growth
It’s finals season, and I’m holding it together with sheer willpower, manifestation, a RedBull, and my zillionth cup of tea. The library’s packed, the group chats are dry, and every conversation starts with “How much sleep did you get?” followed by mutual dead-eyed...