In Their Own Words: First-Generation Perspectives Continued…
Written by Judith Gomez Vera
For this interview, the student asked that her name not be stated, so we will use She/Her pronouns.
“What is your mindset as a first-generation student?” I asked. In response, I gained a new yet familiar perspective on this topic from a current University of Saint Joseph student. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview a USJ first-generation student, whom I thank for taking the time to discuss this important topic. “Difficult” was a constant word said throughout our conversation. The process of applying to college was difficult. Filling out the FASFA form was difficult, paying tuition was difficult.
Even before attending college, applying to colleges was very strenuous for her and her parents. Being the first child in her family to ever apply to college, it was all new for them: college portals, the Common App, and FASFA. When it came down to her top options of colleges to commit to, the University of Saint Joseph was her top choice, but financially it would be a struggle to afford. Nevertheless, her parents supported her decision to attend her dream school and paid for the school’s tuition. Knowing that the payments would be difficult to pay off, she thought constantly about finances — to the point where it was all she thought about. “How am I going to pay for school?” was a question she always had in the back of her mind. Soon enough, it got in the way of her studies, distracting her from lectures and interrupting her comprehension of class material. All this financial stress caused her to have a negative outlook on her education. She started to view the situation like, “If I can’t afford the full four years, then what’s the point?” On top of the financial stress, she was still responsible for maintaining high grades. Throughout her schooling from a young age, receiving a grade lower than a B wasn’t seen as acceptable. Even when she struggled with assignments, her parents would offer to help, but they could only do so much since they didn’t know the material, so all they could do was give words of encouragement. Overall, her mental health during the fall semester was poor: she would cry incessantly due to stress, never leave her dorm, and go home constantly to receive comfort from her mother.
December rolled around, and in winter break she had a conversation with her mom regarding the payments for her school. It was then she was told her family wouldn’t be able to afford to pay anymore because now they were relying only on her mom’s income. It was heartbreaking news to her since USJ was her dream school, but it seemed clear she would have to unenroll for the spring semester. Although she tried to transfer and enroll in both community colleges and UCONN, she was told the deadline passed and that some of her credits wouldn’t transfer. During that time and throughout the summer, she worked two jobs full time — 11 am–1 am daily — to save as much money as possible with the goal of returning for the new fall semester.
With the help of a financial aid worker at USJ, she asked for an appeal and was assisted in navigating through student loans. The payment plans would be monthly, which her mom felt was doable. Now, returning in the fall semester, as well as knowing that tuition is manageable, her mindset towards school has changed. She does not take anything for granted and feels blessed to continue her education. She touched on the basis that college should be a learning experience and a fun one too, which is why she is going out of her comfort zone and finding new things she can do on campus to avoid not being in her dorm all day. Despite all these adversities she faced she thanks her mom for always supporting her dreams and for the uplifting messages she receives from her day-to-day.
Even though there are many stigmas and expectations for first-generation students, she constantly gets reminded by her mom that with every sacrifice comes its rewards,; “Echale ganas flaca, sabes que despues del sacrificio vendra tu recompensa”. Making her mom proud is one of her biggest motivations, and “Para mis padres que llegaron sin nada y me lo dieron todo” is her view on all the hard work and sacrifices her mom had made for her and her siblings. Now she intends to go beyond her bachelor’s degree. Part of her motivation is so that her mom can retire, and she can give her mom everything she’s ever wanted. But in the end, she said, she’s doing this for herself so that she can have a stable life and promising future.
Featured Photograph by Samuel Turgeon
