Attending college is no easy feat. It is something that has been a work of progress for many kids. We begin this school journey with Pre-kindergarten and travel across that gameboard until our senior year of high school. At the ages of 17 through 18, students are met face-to-face with what might be a decision that could very well shape their entire future.
According to the Center for First-Generation Student Success, “the term ‘first-generation’ implies the possibility that a student may lack the critical cultural capital necessary for college success because their parents did not attend college.”
The title of a first-generation student may come with remarkable gratification but it can also hold harsh expectations. According to Danny Rivas, a computer science major who graduated from NYIT, his parents “assumed that I would have a high paying job right after graduating.” As the first in his family to attend college, he felt “alone but didn’t feel pressured to be among the top one percent and get high grades.”
Twenty-two-year-old college senior Aaliyah Gerena’s parents were much more understanding if she didn’t want to attend college. “They just wanted me to have a full-time job out of high school if I decided not to go through with college. However, I really put pressure on myself to make sure I did well because my parents were helping me get through school and I didn’t want to disappoint them in any way.”
I am a first-generation college student and this title has weighed heavily on me as well as my parents in ways both positive and negative. There is nothing better than to see my parents brag about how their daughters are college graduates with proper degrees. They have always valued education since they never had the opportunity to finish school in their home country.
Though it’s a beautiful thing to see their eyes brim with pride when they think of having properly educated children, the pressure of being a first-generation college student felt like a massive burden to me.
There was this constant need to have a high GPA. I’d work so hard on papers and projects that I would eventually drive myself into constant burnout. My sister and I are the first and only children from my father’s side of the family to earn degrees from a college or university and my need to be perfect and gain recognition for my achievements was present at all times.
Four years later, I am sitting in my room with my Bachelor of Arts framed on my wall and an immense amount of gratitude that I was able to accomplish that. It’s with immense pride that I get to say I am a first-generation college student. I know that those in my position also proudly wear that title as the first within their families to reach this achievement.