naturally strived to do my best in school. I am a first generation college student. My childhood dream was and still is to become a doctor. It all started when I would treat my younger brother, Anthony, as my patient. I mostly just covered him in Band-Aids. My family was pretty well off until my parents divorced. Since then, life has not been so easy financially. In high school, I continued to strive to be a good student just as I do now. Then, unfortunately, around tenth grade, my father had gone through
I have always been my own motivator and it has not always been easy. Being a first-generation college student meant going it on my own, making mistakes and learning from them. At the start of my college adventure I met Professor Michelle Field who introduced me to more than my love of Anthropology, but looking back she is now my inspiration to want to teach Anthropology. This was not something I knew coming into college, but some of the greatest things in life come together when you least expect
Being a first generation college student is a heavy load to carry due to the constant reminder of having to be a good role model for my siblings. Children of immigrants are often highly expected to excel in their academics and to be involved in extracurricular activities. His/her parent immigrated to the “Land of The Free” in order to receive a better life and to give their children a place to call home. They work from one to two jobs a week just so that we can dig through the pantry, and raid
What Does it Mean to be a First-Generation College Student? Obtaining a degree remains one of the most important pathways to economic and social class in the United States (U.S.), regardless of rising tuition costs and the value of having a higher education coming in to question. Of the 20.6 million students enrolled in a college or university, first-generation college students represents about one-third (The Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2012). These group of individuals are more likely
Throughout my teenage years, I was the embodiment of the average introvert. The pressure to succeed and become a first generation college student in my family was overwhelming, and the constant battle of not being good enough defeated me. My parents only spoke Spanish, and were unable to help me with my school assignments. As I struggled with my academics silently, my self-consciousness and insecurities grew. The fear of speaking out in public was a lingering shadow that developed more, as I grew
First in the Family: A First Generation College Student on College Across universities throughout the United States, the presence of first-generation college students is on the rise (Stephens 1). Students whose parents do not have a degree of higher education, are being given the opportunity to shape their future for the better as they embark on a journey to receiving a four year degree unlike their parents who were not given such an opportunity. With the number of first-generation college students
I am a first generation college student that has made it to a higher education. I see myself as the second daughter, that has come out the land of pride and production. I am from Richmond, California, but that’s just where I geographically from, when in reality I came from a strong family of immigrants. My parents both came to the United States as a young 26, and 24-year-old parents of one child. I did not come until two years later that I came, I came into the world, and was already marked with
Chaoui Process for Analyzing Research Studies Analyzing Research: motivating first generation college students 1. I utilized the University of North Florida’s search bar through the library to find my article. I typed into the search bar “motivating first generation college students”. I wanted to find research that explored different ways utilized by institutions to motivate and retain their first generation college students. I also narrowed down the potential results by selecting geography of the
individual. He or she as their actual selves and not pretending to be someone else to gain the satisfaction of others is the self. I am a first generation college student who grew up in one of Chicago’s most impoverished and threatening neighborhoods, Cabrini Green. My siblings look at me as a mother figure and role model. I became who I am today by the influence of my parents, school, and society. In this world, I will be a successful pediatrician at a children’s hospital where there is a need for people
My time spent at Cogswell Polytechnical College has been one of a great experience thus, making me more appreciative of the financial hardships my family continues to endure in order for me to attend such a prestigious university. There is no one in my family to have made it this far academically as I am living the life of a first generation college student. Now, being the only person out of my other nine siblings to identify as a college student raises a lot of concern from the adults