Marissa Jimenez

I am the youngest of 5, and the first to go to college in my family. I was involved in high school, so going to college was my next step. I was very independent in my pursuit of my degree-I filled out the applications, never went on a college visit-I missed lots of parts to …

Continue reading

When I graduated from high school, I was unsure of what I wanted to do, so I worked in my family’s floral and gift shop. After some time I began taking general education courses, at the age of 24, I joined the United States Air Force. While in the service I was a fuel systems …

Continue reading

I was the only child of my mother, and to be honest, I grew up with no father as my mother had to wear the hat as a father by instilling discipline while being a bread winner.  Also, as a Black Barbadian, I am the very first member of my family to attend university (The …

Continue reading

I grew up on a small farm in Southern Indiana and all of the male members in my family were coal miners.  I knew I did not want to be a farmer or a coal miner so I entered college and majored in accounting.  After getting my undergraduate degree, I entered the military and spent …

Continue reading

As a first generation student, the two obstacles I had to overcome were: (a) a lack of expectations (What should I expect from others? What was expected of me?) and (b) minimal social support.  The resources to succeed were all around me…but I wasn’t aware of them.  And neither were the people in my social …

Continue reading

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 …

Continue reading