Within the confines of my small hometown, I had never viewed my first generation identity as anything particularly special.
It wasn’t until I applied to the University of Alabama that I realized that my experience was unlike many of my peers. It was also when I had the fortune of realizing that there was a community created just for students like me. First generation students are defined by UA First Gen+ Programs as students who “are the first in their family to attend college.” This specifically applies to immediate family members, such as parents, grandparents and caregivers.
As a student from a rural background, my parents’ lack of a college education wasn’t something that stood out. However, it made my experience applying for college much more difficult. Nobody in my family knew how to help me with online application portals, campus tours or the mystifying paperwork barrier that is the FAFSA. I, like many of my first gen peers, ended up doing all of my research and forms entirely by myself.
For many first generation students, this is where they find themselves stuck. When the landslide of things to do becomes too much — it’s not surprising that many resign themselves to the same generational cycles as their parents, no matter how much they want to seek out higher education.
Thankfully, programs like UA’s aforementioned First Gen+ office allows for opportunities and speciality advising to be given to students like myself. It was due to this office that I am able to graduate college debt free, thanks to a scholarship from the Annexstad Family Foundation. The office also offers mentorship and ambassador programs, of which I proudly serve as a representative of my community.
These services not only give students like myself a voice, they allow us to do things that we had previously thought impossible. At a university with a culture that tends to prioritize affluent and legacy students, it is important that we give note to those who have fought their way up the bureaucratic ladder.
College is not easy for first generation students — far from it. However, with support from UA’s passionate faculty, this community has continued to break boundaries, both familial and educational.
To the first-gen student reading this: there is no reason to be ashamed of your identity. Be proud of it instead. Our accomplishments shine so much brighter when we overcome what originally counted us out.
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