- I started out in biomedical engineering.
I really loved it, but I didn't
see myself doing it forever,
so I switch to another major.
I didn't see myself doing that forever.
And then again being frustrated.
You don't always know how
these things are going to work.
(upbeat music)
My name is Iree Skinkle,
and I study business.
I wasn't very sure where to go at all.
So, like many people, I guess
I just looked at the rankings,
and Tech was number one for
a lot of really cool stuff.
I visited Atlanta, fell in love with it,
visited Tech, which is like
its own bubble in Atlanta.
I figured that business
is such a versatile major
that I can do almost anything with that.
Always been a good number
cruncher, so I went into finance.
And with that, I was
still able to do anything.
- My father was an auto mechanic,
and my mother stayed home,
took care of the kids.
And their value wasn't
really on education.
He told me he wanted to go to university
when he was four years old, and I said,
okay, let's go, let's do it.
I didn't have the cash, per se,
but I always knew that we'd find a way.
- I definitely had to relearn
how to learn, I think.
In high school, I would do my homework,
you know, like 30 minutes
before I went to school,
'cause it was like super easy,
it wasn't really challenging at all.
Had maybe a little too
much pride at first,
'cause you know my high
school GPA was like perfect.
Everyone here's still very
competitive, which I love,
but at the same time, like
you don't really want to
tell people that, hey, maybe I need some,
a little extra help.
I would recommend to
first generation students
to sign up for clubs,
sign up for research,
pack your calendar, at
least that first semester,
and you know if it's too much,
bring it down a little bit.
But it's definitely worth,
you know just really
getting out there and
discovering as much as possible.
Being a first-gen student,
one of the largest benefits is
I think I'm definitely more
resourceful than most people.
You don't have your family to tell you
about all these little tiny things,
that you gotta work on it by yourself.
But it's a fun journey.
I realized every time I changed my mind,
or even tweaks my vision little bit,
people were always there to support me,
and so I wasn't afraid
to edit, you know, my
future, I guess you can say.
- It's been wonderful
getting to know this man,
that, you know, as he's grown.
He's the reason I went to
college in the first place.
I got, you know, I didn't
go to a foreign university,
but he's the reason I went to school,
and became something that I enjoy being.
- First generation high school students
that wanna go into college,
I would definitely say
that if you're not a
little bit intimidated,
if you're not a little bit uncomfortable,
then you're not doing something right.
I think people should love
being in a uncomfortable space
because that's how you learn.
If you're comfortable all the time
then you're just where you always were.
In my last semester now, I'm
doing part-time with a startup,
and ATDC, which is a
Georgia Tech startup space.
And they are doing awesome
things with clinical trials
using technology to
push research out faster
and get medicine to people that need it
as quickly as possible.
- I don't want his children
going through the same thing
that I went through, or
even some of the things
that we went through as a family
that I tried to shelter him from,
but of course he felt the effects.
I feel like his work and diligence
has changed our family line forever.
Thank you for being you and
being true to you always.
That's the only thing I
ever wanted from you is
that you knew who you
were, and that you were
true to yourself, and
you are and I'm proud.
- Thank you so much, Mom.
I definitely couldn't be here without you.
You've always been supportive,
and yeah, I love you so much.
- I wouldn't be here without you either.
I'm so proud.
(gentle music)
