Though my mother worked as a teacher and earned a Master’s degree in the Philippines, I still claim myself as ‘first-gen.’ For while she was ‘college’-educated, her experiences and expectations were vastly different from mine in the U.S. I’d have questions; she couldn’t answer them. I’d be confused; she couldn’t provide clarification. She knew nothing about going to college in the U.S. Where she was from, there was no such thing as FAFSA, drop-add, Blackboard, or any of those other ‘college’ terms. There was no such thing as sororities, learning communities, or email logins. I claim first-gen, because I am first-gen. I had no one to learn from.
Even further, I was first-gen Filipino-American. Born in the United States but brought up in both Filipino and American customs, my school experiences were all ‘first’ territory. Growing up, I toggled between expectations as an American student (with a strong focus on social activities) and expectations as a daughter to strict, Filipino parents (with a strong focus on purely academic activities). Nonetheless, I stepped into ‘college life’ slowly and allowed myself the time to enjoy the journey. I joined a student organization my 2nd semester, I joined the dance team the semester after that. I declared a major; I learned how to change my major. I enrolled in Elementary Statistics; I learned I hated Elementary Statistics. I wrote; I learned I loved writing. But I learned the most about college from people – students, professors, advisors, front desk workers, etc. I learned to talk to people. I learned to listen to people. For the people you meet in college, are the ones you’ll learn from the most.
