First-Gen Students are not Alone

As a first-gen student, I often felt isolated because I existed in the “in-betweens.” I was the first and only person in my family to pursue higher education, which resulted in a limited understanding of the demands placed on my time. While at school, I could not identify with students who were involved in student organizations or who were making “career moves” via internships and networking. I existed in between both of these worlds, not quite fitting into one or the other and constantly juggling my identities in order to maximize the time with my family, while still learning to navigate the professional world. 

This isolation is typical for first-gen students and our identities are often highlighted when we hit an obstacle that seems to be universal in our experiences. The fact that we lose out on opportunities because we were not aware of certain expectations of things we “should” have been doing, expectations that appear to be very clear to everyone else but us. I did not know I “should be” getting to know my professors to ask for letters of recommendation, I did not know I “should be” getting hands-on experiences in order to apply to graduate school. This miscommunication is often attributed to not having a network of individuals around you that can share this information with you. We often compare ourselves to people who have parents and family members that can discuss career options with them, that can connect them to current professionals, that can even review their resume with them. My parents are the hardest working people I know, but they did not have formal education beyond the 5th grade and do not speak English - they could not provide the guidance that would be considered standard across other households. 

This is why I want us to leverage our first-gen network to be the resource for students who are just behind us on our academic journey. We should be the network that we wish we had for others. As we build our own network, we can connect with folks who are one step above us on the professional ladder of success and share that information with individuals who are just one step behind us. We should not feel like we are navigating this journey alone when there are so many of us out there. Leveraging our first-gen network is critical to our success, not only to put the advice to work by getting the experience we need, but also by establishing a support system in order to support each other along the journey. Across universities, programs are being developed to increase recruitment and retention of first-gen students and this is often done by establishing community among students. We can establish our own community across disciplines, campuses, and backgrounds to ensure that first-gen students do not feel isolated much longer. Join South Central Meets Academia’s first-gen network today!