Making the transition from high school to college was not very easy. As a first-generation student my understanding of college life was through the perception of friends and teachers. I started my first semester wandering through classes without making any connections or friendships. Back in High School I was not the type of person to …
Category: faculty
Aug 31
Steven Cotter
When I graduated high school, there were no expectations of or financial resources for me attending college. I completed a two-year community college degree and did not return to college until I was 25. It was only at the encouragement of a fellow worker who was attending a local university that I returned to college …
Aug 31
Don Stansberry
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 …
Aug 31
Laura Horan
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 …
Aug 31
Alvin Holder
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 …
Aug 31
Jesse Hughes
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 …
Aug 31
Ryan Klinger
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 …
Aug 30
Claiming ‘First-Gen’
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 …
