Erika Segarra, a Psychology major graduating May of 2020, is the first person in her family to ever go to college.
As a full-time student, a typical Monday and Wednesday routine for Segarra consists of arriving at noon on campus and leaving after her last class at 10:30 pm.
Segarra spends her time in between classes studying and completing assignments. She says, “I am trying to bring up my GPA to a minimum that I can reach my goal, I think about a 3.5.”
This pressure to excel is a common one among students who are the first in their family to go to college, or “first generation,” as they are also known.
“The hardest part of being the first one to go to college is the pressure to do well. I am most likely the only one in my family that knows how to accurately fill in applications. I have to go to advisors and counselors on campus for help,” Segarra says.
In the book First-Generation College Students: Understanding and Improving the Experience from Recruitment to Commencement, by Lee Ward, Michael J. Siegel and Zebulun Davenport they examine the differences between first and non-first generation students.
They say sometimes, “First-generation students arrive at college campuses at risk academically…they are less academically prepared than their traditional counterparts.”
Furthermore, being the first one(s) in their immediate family to attend college, most have had to take on things like the college application process entirely on their own.
Ruben Cambara, a second-year Business Administration major says, “Basically, I didn’t have any help, I didn’t know what to do. Also, it just feels like a lot of pressure to have to do it myself because I was the only one able to do it.”
First-generation students often face an additional obstacle which is external pressures from family members who feel going to college is pushing against family customs.
Second-year nursing major Jonathan Camey says, “It has taken months of persuasion. Every time a semester begins, dealing with mainly my dad, because he doesn’t prioritize education because he didn’t grow up that way.”
Some families prioritize working over receiving an education.
Camey says, “My dad, he doesn’t agree with it. He wants me to work and not go to college.”
However, regardless of the circumstances these students face, they all agree that earning a degree will impact the future generations of their families.
Segarra says, “Obtaining a degree means opening doors. It will impact my family in the sense of coming from poverty to being able to thrive because of the opportunities offered to me now.”
