This article was originally written for FirstGenerationStudent.com, now a part of ImFirst.org.
I always knew I was going to go to college. I didn’t know where or why—I just knew I would go. I have always loved knowledge, reading, classes and learning. I’m the kind of person who reads the whole textbook instead of just the assigned chapters. My books are filled with sticky notes, comments in the margins and highlighted phrases so I can easily remember what was going through my mind as I was reading the book for the first time. I love learning, so naturally, college was my next step after high school.
Discovering My Passion
I didn’t realize it at that time, since my parents never went to college, but college was much more than notes in my textbooks. As a first-generation student, college changed the entire course of my life. I didn’t even realize there was a specific term for my generational status until I met with my TRiO advisor (an advisor that assists low-income and first-generation students, as well as those with disabilities, through a federally-funded program). My first year, I went to classes and spent time with my friends down the hall when I wasn’t at my work-study job. My second year, I discovered what college could be and what I could do for other students. I joined the Student Senate and found that student advocacy was quite a passion of mine. I remained involved with the Student Senate, becoming one of co-presidents during my last semester as an undergraduate student. In my junior year I was a Resident Assistant where I learned a whole new way to advocate for students on campus.
I was encouraged to look for graduate schools offering degrees in student affairs. Prior to my senior year, I had never heard of such programs, let alone had thought of attending graduate school. I had decided that I needed to take a year off to ensure that I was ready to earn another degree. Between graduating with my bachelor’s degree and starting my graduate program, I served as a literacy tutor for the AmeriCorps Minnesota Reading Corps. My mentors continued to encourage me during this time and I enrolled in my current graduate program.
Being a First-Gen Graduate Student
Being a first-gen graduate student is not much unlike being an undergraduate first-gen student. I was terrified and confused by the GRE. I didn’t know what a graduate assistantship was or how to obtain one. I was lost, again; but, like before, I was not alone.
There are a number of other first-gen students in my graduate program. It may be the nature of the program that draws us in—that aspiration to serve students who have different struggles than students whose parents who went to college. The first-gen students are not hard to pick out of the cohort. Our research passions betray us as we focus on marginalized student populations. When we get a chance to share our experiences, we seem to focus on, “I wish I had known this or that when I was entering college.” I’m having a lot of these moments right now.
Helping Other First-Gen College Students
This summer, I am working with an Upward Bound program as a Senior Prep Coordinator. As I plan lessons for my rising high school seniors, I continually think back on what I wish I had known. I use my first-gen graduate peers’ feedback, since their experiences are even more complex than mine. Even though I am a first-gen student, I am a white first-gen student. I have more privilege. I was expected to go to college. The students I teach do not have the same privileges that I do and I am constantly aware of that as I plan classes. This is why I ask my peers for help.
One of my friends, a first-gen Latina, was an Upward Bound student herself. I cannot give any sort of justice to her story; her story is her own. She inspires me, though. She has become a great resource and friend as I go through this graduate program. I have become aware of issues that I had never once considered to be issues. For example, prior to my graduate experience and discussions, I had not known about the institutional oppression of undocumented students. I now want to learn more about this group and the policies that bar them from the same educational experiences as their peers.
Lessons Learned as a First-Gen
My first year of graduate study sure had some ups and downs. I learned a lot about the kind of professional I want to be. I learned, all over again, what it is like to be a first-generation student. Looking back, there are a few things I would tell the me of a few years ago to work on right away:
- Keep in touch with the mentors who encouraged you to begin with! You’re never too busy to be mentored.
- Find new mentors at your new institution.
- Find people in your program or cohort who “get you.”
- Remind yourself why you’re putting all this time and effort into this degree.
I still need to work more on #1 and #2; I’m constantly a work in progress. Fortunately, I have found the people that get and accept me (#3). They’re first-gen, too, so I know that they can appreciate my first-gen problems. The fourth point may be the most important for me, especially when deadlines creep up or when I disagree with a professor’s ideology.
I am earning this degree so I can help students like me. I am earning this degree so I can help students less privileged than me. I am earning this degree so I can foster change. I want higher education to be equitable, and I want to be a part of that change. I know that my first-gen lens makes me different than many of my peers, but my experiences are not unlike those of many other first-gen students. More first-gen students are coming to campuses, and I look forward to serving them.