My very first day on campus was actually orientation.
So I got everything I needed, got all the
information I needed
they were like, "You're living here."
Bam, move in.
Finally got to meet my roommate and that was
exciting.
We texted a couple times a couple days leading
up to it so we were pretty excited.
My mom came, my grandma came, my aunt came
my brother came because they were all so excited.
First day of campus was probably like anybody,
any college student
Fear, anxiety, but definitely a sense of belonging
and accomplishment.
And I remember when they left, I walked away
from them and
I refused to turn around because I was crying
my eyes out.
I tried to get to know the upperclassmen to
kind of guide me around where to go.
I experienced a lot of upperclassmen talking
which I didn't think that would happen
because in high school that didn't really
happen a lot.
I think my parents were thrilled that I was
going to college.
It was new to them because neither one of
them had gone to college.
They were both self-educated or had gone to
trade school.
They were more excited than I was since I'm
the first person in my family
to go to a four-year university.
They cried, screamed, you know all that stuff.
They were a little nervous because I was going
so far away and they wanted me to
stay close to home but I wanted something
different so I chose to come far away to school.
They were excited that I was about to take
on this whole new challenge you know.
It was something that they both wanted to
see me do that they couldn't do.
If you've got what it takes to get in here,
99 percent of you have what it takes to get
out.
So just dedicate yourself to your studies.
Give yourself a chance to learn.
When I first got to college, because no one
in my family had ever been to college
I had to find someone to serve as a mentor
and that's exactly what I did.
I got involved, I reached out.
I would tell students that it's okay to feel
different and that in fact
there are probably more students on campus
who are from a similar background
than you would probably think.
The advice that I give to other first-generation
students is time management.
Time management is the key.
The faculty are here for them.
So my number one piece of advice for first-generation
college
students and for all college students is to
see their faculty, get to know their faculty
see them in their office hours, talk to them
after class and they should know that we also
have
a special resource called the Go-To Faculty
made up of about two dozen faculty members
whose special interest is working with students
outside of the classroom.
I think a successful college student, whether
you're first-generation or not
is a willingness to learn, a willingness to
step outside of your comfort zone, to get
engaged,
to try new things, and to listen when people
offer you advice.
It's okay to make connections among your peer
groups, and it's okay to ask others
what their life was like.
I would say a successful college student is
someone
who becomes involved in a meaningful way for
him or her.
What makes a successful college student is
focus.
You also need to be able to
reach out into the community and make friends
and make relationships with other people.
Don't let anyone tell you what field of study
you should go in, you should pick something
that you're genuinely interested in because
that will help you in the long run
and you'll enjoy what you do.
First-generation college students like all
college students need to understand that their
successful depends primarily on their efforts.
They can succeed, they need to put forth
the effort and take advantage of all the resources
we have here on campus.
