Can you tell us a little bit about your background with being a first-generation student?
It was difficult, especially going into high school not knowing what I would do or how it would work out. It was a learning curve because it felt like everyone was ahead of me in the game because all their parents had gone to college, they all knew what to expect, and they all knew the FAFSA. It was tough. Luckily, my teachers were very supportive and helpful in figuring it out. I got the gist of it but didn鈥檛 have all of it down. My mom tried to help out but couldn鈥檛 help me with everything. She passed away my sophomore year so I had to have my teachers help me out by recommending scholarships and helping me apply for them.
What does being First Generation mean to you?
It means an opportunity to define yourself. Like, maybe your family has gone through something and you don鈥檛 want that to be a part of you, or you do, so you go to college and that鈥檚 part of the determination to redefine yourself or to continue to redefine your family. Being first-generation is an achievement and something to be proud of. You鈥檙e doing this all by yourself. You build your own support system to get through it.
What advice would you give?
Don鈥檛 be afraid to take anything head-on. It can definitely be scary at first but just know that you鈥檝e got it. If you put your mind to it, you can get through anything. It was definitely scary for me freshman year, but as long as you keep your head high and you keep priorities straight, you鈥檝e got it.
What did you do to get past those scary feelings?
Basically, I just told myself that I was here to make my family proud. It really pushes me to be the best possible. You鈥檒l have moments where you may have doubt but if you tell yourself, "I鈥檓 here to better myself", you can get past it.
