What it actually means to be the first in your family to accomplish big things?

by Berenice Perez, St. Olaf College, '23

“I’m First generation.” This sounds great, so don’t get me wrong, but have you ever thought about what comes with that phrase? Being the first generation is so much more than the first person in your family to go to college. This means using your spare time to look...

Doing Too Much

by Cindy Cintron, The Catholic University of America, '23

I am a victim to the too much gene when it comes to work! The immigrant mentality that many of us first generation children face is that we need to work extra hard to survive. To prove to everyone else that we are worthy of being there, we have to be the best. I was...

Under pressure: "pressing down on you, pressing down on me"

by Alexa Rodriguez, Wellesley College , '17

There is a lot of room for pride in a first generation student, and believe me, it is merited. We have fought through obstacles that our disadvantaged backgrounds have posed for us. We made it. We’re here and we have a presence in collegiate institutions. For that I...

Catching Up..

by Cynthia Cruz, Illinois Wesleyan University, '14

I want to give up sometimes. School is just too hard right now. I probably shouldn’t have started this blog post off with that sentence, but that is definitely how I feel. Remember about a month ago when I told you my mother was getting brain surgery,...

Raise the bar, raise the effort.

by Irvin Gomez, Dartmouth College , '13

I have not blogged in a really long time. The reason for this has been the incessant amount of work that this term has brought. Although to high schoolers three classes do not sound like a lot, believe me, three classes are more than enough in a place like this one....