Description
Book SynopsisIn Experiences from First Generation College Graduates, 31 alumni who were the first in their family to obtain a college degree share their experiences in college. These stories illuminate how the struggles of first-generation students are primarily due to a combination of multiple social inequities that are ignored, reinforced, and perpetuated by exclusive college systems. These authors speak directly to current and future first generation students, offering tips and advice for success, along with powerful words of encouragement in their emotionally rich narratives. College faculty and staff are challenged to shift their perspectives from viewing these students from a deficit lens or attempting to make them more like continuing-generation students, to instead having deeply honest confrontations with the pedagogies and structures of college, which are frequently so ingrained that they are invisible, and that cater to continuing-generation students, who are often predominantly white, middle- and upper-class. Colleges can create a more equitable system in which universities are enriched by the wisdom, experiences, and talents of first-generation students while promoting a generative culture for all students.
Table of ContentsForeword (Yolanda Norman)
Acknowledgments
Introduction (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Section I Introduction: Stories Featuring Academic Experiences (Adam J. Rodríguez)
First Generation Students Defined
College Culture
Structure and Content of the Book
Contributors
Emergence of Themes
Sections
Critical Self-Reflection
The Strengths of First-Generation Students
Chapter 1 (Anthony Vargas, Student Affairs, Campus Living University at Buffalo)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 2: Mapping Out College to Career Goals in Real-Time (Jeremy Edwards, PhD, Lecturer for the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributions Toward College Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 3: Success is Not a Linear Path (Ivonne Martinez, Pursuing Master’s in Data Science)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 4 (Desireé Vega, PhD, Associate Professor, School Psychology)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 5 (Yvonne M. Luna, PhD, Associate Vice Provost and Professor of Sociology)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success: I Didn’t Do It Alone
Role of Mi Familia
Tips and Advice
Chapter 6 (Maria Dykema Erb, MEd, Director of the Newbury Center, Boston University)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 7 (David Winston, MD, PhD, Forensic Pathologist)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 8 (Mike Santaniello, Professor of Sociology)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 9 (Lynn Pepin, BSE, Completing PhD in Computer Science)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 10: From North Philly to Faculty: Testimonio of a First-Generation Latinx College Student Surviving and Thriving at an Historically White University (Stephen Santa-Ramirez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Higher Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, University at Buffalo)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Critical Self-Reflection 1 (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Two Primary Questions
Further Discussion Questions
Section II Introduction: Stories Featuring Social Experiences (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Chapter 11: The Little Girl from Gay, Georgia (Patricia Harris, MA, Senior Director of Education, Operations and Initiatives, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College: I Love My SSU
Contributors to My Success: Tell Them We Are Rising
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 12:In My Own Way (David Hernández, Associate Professor, Latina/o Studies, Faculty Director of Community Engagement, Mount Holyoke College)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 13 (Jenny Lieurance, First Generation Specialist)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 14 (Glynis Boyd Hughes, Grant Writer and Storyteller)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 15 (T. Mark Montoya, PhD, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 16 (Joyce Stewart, Senior Academic Lecturer, English Department)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College: The Enjoyable and Annoying
Contributors to My Success: What Worked for Me
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 17 (Kevin L. Wright, EdD, Senior Equity Facilitator/Consultant at the Center for Equity & Inclusion)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
The Classroom
Reslife
Campus Involvement
Contributions Toward College Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 18 (Sonja Ardoin, PhD, Associate Professor & Program Director, Student Affairs Administration)
Applying to and Preparing for College: LSU was my Harvard
Experiences in College: Finding My Tiger Stripes
Contributors to My Serendipitous Success
Role of Family: It’s Not My Degree, It’s Ours
Tips and Advice: “My Two Cents” Offering
Chapter 19 (Kamina P. Richardson, Assistant Program Director and Pre-Law Advisor for Legal Studies Program at Temple University’s Fox School of Business)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 20 (Emilee Claire Inez, Admissions Representative, University of Wyoming)
Applying to and Preparing for College: Before the Bachelors
Experiences in College: Growth in Undergrad
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Critical Self-Reflection 2 (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Two Primary Questions
Further Discussion Questions
Section III Introduction: Stories Featuring Psychological Experiences (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Chapter 21: To the Garden that Blossomed Seeds of Dreams (Ulises Morales, Executive Assistant)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 22 (Mayra González Menjívar, Communications Associate)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 23 (Kallie Clark, MSW, PhD, Educator and Researcher)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 24 (Dawna Jones, MEd, MSW, Director, Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture at Duke University)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 25: The Paths We Pave (Mytien Nguyen, MD-PhD Student)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 26 (Sean Richardson, Pursuing Master’s in Higher Education Administration)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 27: Navigating Uncharted Waters (Adj Marshall, Families Program & Policy Administrator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College: Assets and Drawbacks
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 28 (Clifton E. Shambry, Jr., Assistant Director of Life Design for Diversity and Inclusion)
The Beginning: Why College
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of the Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 29 (Raquel Gutierrez Cortez, MSCP, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, Associate Professional Clinical Counselor)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 30 (Karen Hill, BA, Completing Master of Science in Counseling)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Chapter 31 (Henry Rosas Ibarra, Political Consultant)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to My Success
Role of Family
Tips and Advice
Critical Self-Reflection 3 (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Two Primary Questions
Further Discussion Questions
Chapter 32: Discussion and Analysis (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Applying to and Preparing for College
Experiences in College
Contributors to Success
Role of Family
The Costs of Upward Mobility
Conclusion
Chapter 33: Tips and Advice for First-Generation College Students and Their Families (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Advice for Parents
Conclusion
Chapter 34: Creating Equity and Justice: Recommendations for Colleges, Faculty, and Staff (Adam J. Rodríguez)
Laying the Groundwork
Institutional Changes
Early Intervention
Admissions Process
Financial Aid Assistance
Tutoring Services
Residence Halls
Academic Advising
Mentorship Programs
Counseling/Mental Health Services
Increased Representation
Classroom Level
Normalizing Adjustment Difficulties
Conclusion
Glossary of Select College Terms
Appendix A: Resources
References
Index
About the Contributors
