In an article published in the New York Times, first-generation students attending Ivy League and other prestigious institutions across the country come together and unite behind the identity of being the first in there family to attend college.
The article, which mentions I’m First! College Partners Brown University, Columbia University, Pomona College, Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Cornell University, Amherst College and Dartmouth College, discusses the obstacles and challenges first-generation students face once they’ll reached their college campuses. First-generation students told accounts of culture shock, socioeconomic differences and lack of identity and how those instances played a major role in believing that student from their type of background did not belong at such prestigious places.
To combat those feelings of isolation lack of belonging, several student lead first-generation groups, such as 1vyG at Brown University, have been created on campuses across the country. Such groups and programs have the goal of creating a space where first-generation students can speak up about the difficulties of being the first, but also take pride in that identity and create a path of success for aspiring first-generation students to follow.
Watch the video below!