For many young adults, being a first-generation college student holds a lot of responsibility and pressure. These adults are aware of the impact they have created for themselves and their families by taking an extra step and beginning a journey full of uncertainties and challenges.
First-year Enna Lainez and sophomore Katherine Gutierrez share their experiences and stories on this unfinished adventure as first-generation college students.
Lainez says that her biggest worry as a college student is, “[finding] the money to pay for [her] classes and [the fear of] failing them because [her] education level is not the same as everyone else[’s].”
For Gutierrez, the biggest worry is, “to fail and give up in the process.”
Filling out the FAFSA can be challenging for many students, but it can be even more difficult for first-generation students who have no one to rely on when it comes to filling out the application. The issues they face are not only that their parents have little to no knowledge regarding the process, but also that they lack support from their schools.
Lainez affirms that filling out the FAFSA is hard because her school did not do well at informing her about the process. It was even more difficult for her as an immigrant who came to the United States at the beginning of high school.
When it comes to college life, many first-generation students lack preparedness, and this can affect their academic performance and lives. Lainez says, “In your family, there’s no one [who] will guide you with college… When I went to my high school advisor and told her that I wanted to go to college but I didn’t know where to start, she said that I needed to do research on my own, and she didn’t help me at all.”
Regarding lack of preparedness, Gutierrez says, “I do think first-generation students lack information regarding college because they don’t have supporters who would help them psychologically or financially.”
Many first-generation students come from immigrant families or from families that lack the resources to put themselves or their kids through college. Finances can prevent many first-generation students from going to college even if they are academically capable.
Regarding financial issues, Lainez says, “I’m struggling with that; I had to take a year off before enrolling in college because I needed to work to save money. This is my second semester, and I worry because I have to work full-time in order to pay for my classes.”
When asked about pressure or support from families, Gutierrez says, “I do feel pressure as a first-generation student. I take pride in being the first in my family to pursue a higher education, especially because I come from a Hispanic household.”
Lainez says, “There is enormous pressure, and even more if you have younger siblings because your parents expect you to be the best role model for your siblings.”
First-generation students can be challenged academically and require extra help to succeed in their classes, and Lainez is not an exception. Lainez says, “Most of the time, I feel that everyone understands what the teachers are saying and teaching, and it is even harder for me because English is not my first language.”
Many people are unaware of the difficult reality that first-generation students experience. They experience a lot of challenges which they overcome to create a new and better path for their families and for the next generation.
