Beingafirst-generationcollegestudent, and the first out of my two sisters to attend college, I did not know what to expect when I arrived at SUNY Oneonta. The whole process wasa learning experience for both myself and my parents, who did not attend a four-year university. Help is Available for FirstGenerationCollegeStudents. The sheer numbers of us (firstgenerationstudents) out there means we matter. WhatBeingaFirst-GenerationCollegeStudent Means to Me. Beingafirst-generationstudent is both a blessing and a challenge, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. As afirst-generationcollegestudent, Joly Bui ’20 wasn’t sure what would come next after her undergrad years, so she turned to her TCU professors.Whatare some of the strengths you believe you possess as afirst-generationcollegestudent? As afirst-generationcollegestudent, my journey through higher education has been challenging and inspiring. Navigating the academic world without the guidance of family members who have gone before me has presented obstacles. Photo of Brianne Bourne, afirst-generationcollegestudent. She has shoulder-length braids with brown beads, and smiles. She wears a black shirt and jeans. She stands along the green tracks, and the Prudential building is seen in the distant. Beingafirst-generationstudent myself, the opportunity to go to college allowed me to learn and grow in ways I didn’t even fully understand when I enrolled.I don’t want our first-generationstudents (or any student) to struggle with the college system and jargon as I did. First-generationcollegestudents face a compounding array of barriers and a unique set of challenges that hinder their ability to access, succeed in, and reach their full potential as creative and critical thinkers in higher education. These firstgenerationcollegestudents predominantly identify as racial minorities, with 20-percent identifying as African American and 23-pecent identifying as Hispanic.She hopes that it is students like her that will challenge the negative stigma surrounding firstgeneration collegiates. Montclair’s First-GenerationCollege Celebration hosted by the Office Student Belonging honored the first recipients of the Trailblazer Achievement Award, recognizing exceptional leadership, perseverance, and impact within the first-gen community. Imagine the first-generationstudents who end up at one of the top colleges in the country. They are largely from lower-income families and more likely to be minority students than the entire student body. AFirst-GenerationCollegeStudent is defined as a student whose parents didn’t attend college; or is the first person in their immediate family to attend college; or neither parent has at least one year of college. 30% of all collegestudents in the US are FG. More than 25% of FG leave school after their first year . * * This isa dropout rate 4x higher than a second generationstudent. Approx 11% complete their bachelors. Grounded in First-GenerationCollegeStudent Voices. Personality and Social Psychology Journal.First-Generation and Continuing-GenerationCollegeStudents: A Comparison of High School and Postsecondary Experiences. U.S. Department of Education.
