First-Gen Stories

Grace

Majored in Psychology
Changed her major once
Lived at home

Grace's Story:
My older sister and I attended our university at the same time. We were first-generation college students who were lucky enough to navigate the experience together. A college education can transform your life and open up so many opportunities, which I have personally witnessed. Our dad even went on to earn his college degree after watching his daughters walk across the stage at commencement! Now, I'm working on my doctorate while directing CBU's Student Success Coaches.  

Advice for Students: 
Ask questions! Navigating college may sometimes be complicated, but CBU staff and faculty want to assist you and need to know when you are feeling lost or overwhelmed.

Advice for Parents:
Encourage your student to ask questions, get plugged into resources, and help them to persevere when things become challenging.

Heidi

Majored in Anthropology
Changed her major once
Lived on campus

Heidi's Story:
Before I attended college, my understanding of college was limited. My parents taught me the importance of a college degree as a part of the American Dream and a gateway to a good job and future, but I was the first person in my family to attend college. Since my parents never fully advanced their education, their support was limited during my undergraduate education, often taking the form of short motivational phrases in Spanish: echale ganas ("give it all you've got") andponte las pilas("put in your batteries"). Although my parents couldn't offer much else, I was blessed to find other wonderful mentors who helped me to navigate my first year. After four years of college, I was proud to present my hard-earned degree to my Spanish-speaking parents. Now, I am working towards a Master of Science in Higher Education Leadership and Student Development at CBU.

Advice for Students:
Get familiar with the university in every way you can. Walk around campus to find your classes before the first day and browse the school's website to learn about the services they offer. But most importantly, ask for help! CBU has amazing staff and faculty who are eager to help you succeed.

Advice for Parents:
Ask a lot of questions and be curious about your student's learning experience. Do not do what my parents did: they only showed up on my graduation day. You, as parents, are the first teachers and the first mentors that your student has. It is essential to be present, supportive, and empathetic.

Brenda

Majored in Liberal Studies
Did not change her major
Lived on campus

Brenda's Story:
As a first-gen student, I had to figure out my educational trajectory on my own. I looked for and joined programs that would help me find my way through college. Finding the help and support I needed made me feel like I was a part of campus.

Advice for Students:
My message to students is that they are not alone. Never be afraid to ask for help because there will be someone more than happy to help and guide you!

Advice for Parents:
My message to parents is to be open with your children. Tell them your story. Although sometimes it may be difficult, or you do not understand what they are going through, be there for them.

Paola

Majored in Sociology
Did not change her major
Lived at home

Paola's Story:
I went into college with no idea of what college was all about. I learned to register for classes by myself. I wasn’t aware of any resources back then. I literally relied on Google to give me the answers to all my questions. I was a commuter and felt like I didn’t belong there. My parents didn’t even graduate high school in Mexico. I had to figure out my whole college experience by myself and had to advocate for my own personal needs.

Advice for Students: 
The advice I would give to a first-gen college student is always to ask questions. Never try to figure out college by yourself. It won’t be fun. Meet with your academic advisors each semester to make sure you are taking the right classes and not wasting time. Go to the writing center or tutoring center to get the academic help you need. And learn to advocate for yourself and your needs.

Advice for Parents:
I would advise parents to attend orientation with their students, if possible, to find out about programs and events. Be patient with your student and yourselves because college is a learning experience for everyone. And just be a great support system for your student.

Debra

Majored in Nursing
Did not change her major
Lived at home

Debra's Story:
When I started college, the demands on my life were nearly impossible. Going back to school was very difficult after being out of the system for so long. It took two years of prerequisites before I could complete my 2-year nursing degree. This gave me the strength to branch out on my own and eventually go back for my bachelor's degree, something that no one in my family had ever accomplished. With that degree, I worked full-time in critical care and started working at a community college with nursing students. Teaching became my passion, so I decided to teach full-time and leave bedside nursing, which meant it was time to go back to school for a master's degree and obtain a full-time grant position at a community college teaching ADN students. With the housing crisis several years back and the grants pulled, I lost my position, but God opened the doors for a professorship at CBU for a new nursing program, which required a doctorate. After five long years, I now have a Ph.D. in nursing and encourage others that while the road may be difficult, nothing is impossible with God.

Advice for Students:
Never give up. God has a plan for your life. God sees your tears and your journey. Be in the center of His will, and He will give you the strength to finish to the end.

Advice for Parents:
Encourage those who are accomplishing what feels like the impossible. Lighten their load as you are able. Take over the cleaning chores, care for the kids, provide a quiet respite to study, and pray for their success and well-being.

Duncan

Majored in Art
Did not change his major
Lived at home

Duncan's Story:
It felt like a rite of passage when I first began attending my local community college. Although my parents were pleased enough that I was attempting to go somewhere in life, I rarely had any guidance and so floundered on for a few years before disengaging from higher ed. After marrying, I decided to return to college and finish my undergraduate and graduate degrees in studio art. Achieving these degrees has made an incredible difference in my personal and professional life.

Advice for Students:
Be brave and take some risks. Work hard and focus. Trust God for everything.

Advice for Parents:
Don't be afraid to have your son or daughter be changed by their experience; they will grow.

Angela

Majored in Nursing
Changed her major once
Lived on campus

Angela's Story:
I was ill-prepared for the workload, and living on my own for the first time, I had no idea how to balance study and play. When I started to have academic trouble, I did not know how to ask for help and just got farther and farther behind, ultimately ending up on academic probation. This actually saved me because it put advisors in my life who forced me to make some hard choices about study time and playtime. I really had to dig in and rely on help to bring my grades up. 

Advice for Students:
Use the resources available to you, such as the Office of Student Success and the Writing Center. Even if you don't think you need them, they can make a difference. Stay organized and try to find a balance between study and play. You need both, but your goal is to graduate on time!

Advice for Parents:
Your student really is as busy as they say they are. When they say, "I can't because I have to study," believe them. The workload in college is much more than in high school, and the expectation is students will get it done in a timely manner on their own. Due dates are often not set weekly as in high school. Many times there is just a big list of assignments and reading with strict deadlines, and it is up to the student to figure out how to manage their time.

Arnold

Majored in Sociology
Did not change his major
Lived at home

Arnold's Story:
I went into college not knowing what I wanted to pursue, and I did not know what I needed to do regarding classes and financial aid. Little by little, I began to learn about requirements and deadlines, and eventually decided on a major in my third year of college. Within those three years, I was placed on academic probation, which was the first time I had heard the term. After I appealed my academic probation and got it approved, I knew I had to do something different. I began to ask questions and find resources on my own. I got involved in a student group that helped me develop my leadership skills and guided me far beyond my community college graduation.

Advice for Students:
Do not be afraid to ask questions. Seek out resources. CBU is here to help you. Get involved. It's an excellent opportunity to network and begin developing leadership skills.

Advice for Parents:
Be a support system for your student. There are some things that college can help them with, but other times, it requires support from outside the institution.

Henry

Majored in Microbiology
Changed his major 2+ times
Lived on campus

Henry's Story: 
I started out in a trade and joined the family company in contracting. Later, after accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I had a yearning to serve in a different capacity. But growing up, higher education was never a topic at home and was not considered an option in our household. Then, add in the belief that I was not smart enough and that I would have to take several high school courses over again. Extended family members thought going to college was a crazy idea. But with two children, our first home, and a career, I applied to school and got my degree.

Advice for Students:
Your heart's desire is fundamental to the decision. It will impact the way you approach your education and what you will take away from it. You can do it. It is a significant investment of time, money, and effort. But what you take away can be worth it. There is far more than you can imagine. 

Advice for Parents:
You can never give enough support and encouragement. Be a good listener. It is hard to believe in yourself when others may not, so help them believe in themselves. 

Elaine

Majored in Theatre Arts
Did not change her major
Lived on campus

Elaine's Story: 
Desire alone may not always be enough to overcome the challenges of college. I am grateful to the mentors in my life who were willing and available to assist me. Attending a small private college was definitely an adjustment to what seemed like a sea of students coming from households whose parents seemed to be extremely wealthy professionals. I certainly experienced imposter syndrome at times, but I was able to find my comfort through meeting others from different cultures, countries, and ethnicities. It was only later after my undergraduate experience that these college experiences would influence and shape my love for travel, marry a person with the same goals and aspirations as me, and now live a life that is full of amazing and beautiful experiences. I would likely not have grown and developed into who I am today if not for having walked through those moments of uncertainty, fear, and discomfort. 

Advice for Students:
My advice to first-generation students is to trust in your abilities and allow yourself the permission to seek guidance and mentors who want to assist you and help you in your journey. You are deserving and worthy. There are gems of experiences that are actual gifts if you allow yourself to believe and trust that you belong "right where you are in every moment" of a new and unfamiliar journey. If He brought you to it, He will see you through it!

Advice for Parents:
In reflecting on my own journey as a first-year student away from home, parents and family members need to be patient and faithful. In my first year, when I did not call home because of all of the activities during orientation, my family was hurt, and I tried to explain how busy orientation week was and how acclimating to the new paradigm was overwhelming. Trust in their love and allow them the space to grow and develop as individuals amongst new peers.

Noemi

Majored in Social Work
Changed her major 1 time
Lived at home

Noemi's Story:
It was scary. I did feel like I belonged, but I had no idea how to navigate any part of college. Everything from admissions to classroom language seemed foreign to me. I had no one to help me navigate challenges until I met other first-gen students like me. So, I followed their lead. I met them at a Latino Union club, and it was there that I got the resources I needed and started to make helpful connections to become successful in college.

Advice for Students:
Join an extracurricular activity. Make friends and ask a ton of questions. If your friends can't help you, reach out to a staff or faculty member and be honest with them about your needs.

Advice for Parents:
There are many ways you can support your student even if you did not go to college. Continue to encourage them, feed them, support them when they have to do hard things, allow them to have fewer responsibilities at home so they can study, and make coffee for them during those late-night study sessions. Most of all, give them words of affirmation.

Zachary

Majored in Theatre
Changed his major 2+ times
Lived on campus

Zachary's Story:
I grew up in the southwest but always wanted to study marine biology. So my first year was spent at a small university in Hawaii. I quickly learned that the field was not where I was supposed to be. As a first-gen student, changing the "plan" can be overwhelming at first. I had to be continually reassured by my family that it was ok not to have my entire future figured out in the first year. The more I pressed into the things I was passionate about, the more I was able to trust God's plan for my life and learn how to let go of the idea that I could do it on my own.

Advice for Students: 
Do not be discouraged if you don't feel confident with things in your first year. It can take time to gain your bearings, find your communities, and settle on a major.

Advice for Parents:
Set a regular day and time for checking in. Students will have new schedules and routines they will be navigating, and setting aside a little time to touch base on a regular basis can be edifying for both the student and their families.

Tom

Majored in Chemistry
Changed his major 1 time
Lived on campus

Tom's Story:
As a first-generation college student, I didn’t know a lot about higher education before going to college. I personally knew very few college graduates (mostly just my teachers in school), and I didn’t know much about different majors, college experiences, or careers that a college education could prepare one for. I just knew that since I did well in high school, everyone told me I should go to college. My parents were supportive, but since neither of them went to college, they were learning about everything at the same time as I was. I ended up going to a college because it was close to a good fishing lake. (I know! Not the best way to choose a college, especially since I didn’t have much time for fishing while in college!) That first semester was really tough. I got the lowest grades I had ever received and thought about dropping out several times. It wasn’t until I started to make friends in my classes that I began to think that college was for me. Then, during my second semester, I asked a professor for a letter of recommendation for a scholarship when I was thinking about changing majors. He not only gave me the letter but also offered me a student worker job, and since I came from a lower-income working-class family and I needed to help pay for my college education, this was a real blessing. That initial job in my department led to building other connections, and I never looked back.

Advice for Students:
CBU is a very welcoming community with a lot of clubs, activities, and events on and off campus. I would encourage first-gen college students, and especially commuter students, to make efforts to get involved beyond taking classes. It is definitely important to do well in classes, but it is also important to build friendships and community. Attend events for new students in your major and look for events on campus that you are interested in. I know that a lot of first-gen students need to work to pay for college but try to attend evening events on campus when you can. Make friends in your major and get to know a faculty or staff member who can be a mentor to you. Remember – you are not alone!

Advice for Parents:
For many first-gen college students, there is a struggle between being a college student and the expectations that their family puts on them. Parents should understand that college is usually harder than high school, so your student may not have much free time, time to work, or even time to attend to family responsibilities. I have had many students who have expressed how this struggle is pulling them in different directions and, because of this, struggle with their studies and mental health. Students will need the support of family members but also space to grow and develop as individuals. Their interests and priorities may change, but this does not mean they are turning their backs on their families.