Funding, Responsibilities, and Representation 

By Alejandro Hernandez, Corporate Communications Intern, 2020 College Graduate

Though protests across the world are raising awareness about racist inequalities that affect the Black community, as well as Brown, Indigenous, and Asian communities, mass media’s coverage often disregards and under-represents first generation students. Institutional racism has been a topic of discussion, but there are still many underlying issues that are not seen by anyone except for the people that live through those hardships. With this blog post, I will describe some of the issues that target Hispanic first gen students within my community, including funding, at-home responsibilities, and a lack of mentorship.

A college journey for many young students in my community is often a dream that may not become a reality, because while funding is the first thing that a student in high school thinks about, many know that funding from home is unavailable. This leads students to apply for grants and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which most of the time will only pay for tuition costs and leaves students to fend for themselves for necessities such as food and course materials (including textbooks, laptops, etc.). Plus, there are often not enough scholarships for every student. The lack of funding for the student can lead them to rely on loans, a stressor for students as they begin to accumulate thousands of dollars in debt which require payments shortly after they graduate, whether they have a job or not.

For many students, the choice of which college to attend is determined by the responsibility they have at home. Many first gen students are forced to stay home and attend local community colleges or universities so they may help their parents. Parents often require them to tend to younger siblings and/or take on bills, whether it is rent, water, or a car note. A factor that often goes unspoken is the decision to work rather than to take summer courses or internships, which can lead to a student missing out on career development. Local students might also take more breaks to work, which can result in them falling behind in school as they take semesters off. The stereotypes and mistreatment they face due to these difficult decisions can cause first gen students to become overwhelmed and leave college without completing their academic goals.

Finally, first gen students often don’t have access to the same insight as their peers who have heard their parents and siblings discuss college. They might not be trained on how to take notes, buy the right books, or study properly, which can lead them to fail if a university does not provide them with mentors or programs to teach them the dos and don’ts of college. For example, a college career path is not always straightforward; many students begin with a degree in mind and end up changing their field of study after a couple of semesters. A first gen student might enroll with the goal of completing a degree in engineering without being aware of the time the degree needs. This can make the student feel as if they need to change degree paths in order to graduate on time. When they change degrees to stay on track, they might fall a bit behind and lose motivation due to different criteria for classes. Once interest is lost, they might take a break from college or completely drop out. But if they had a mentor from the start and had access to orientations and workshops about workload they could have received guidance and help along the way.

First generation students enroll in college with the hope to achieve their career goals and accomplish a huge milestone, which for many will be the first time someone obtains a college degree within their families. A lack of representation and assistance along the way leads first-gen students to postpone or abandon their dreams due to responsibilities at home or financial issues. Many future healthcare professionals, engineers, and social scientists set their career paths aside because they are not aware of the workload that accompanies a college degree. By setting up mentorship programs that help first gen students enroll, plan out career paths and provide financial advice, institutions will be able to retain first gen students and help them achieve their dreams.