Check out our Community Directory of staff and administrators at Northwestern who were all first generation college students. Learn more about their journeys and reach out to connect.
Join us by submitting your First Generation Story here.
University of Illinois Chicago, BA; DePaul University, MA; Northwestern, MS
Being first-generation means that, with the support and love of family and friends, I persevered. It means that I carved my own path, that although was very different from my classmates, was my own.
Assistant Vice President and Chief of Staff, Student Affairs
University of Miami, BA in Psychology/Minors in Chemistry and Africana Studies; Texas A&M University, MS in Student Affairs Administration, MA in Education in Counseling Psychology; and PhD in Counseling Psychology
Being first-generation means that with the love and support of my family and the help of mentors I have been able to successfully navigate the higher education system not only for myself but for generations to come.
Assistant Director, Leadership Development & Community Engagement
Master of Science in Higher Education & Student Affairs, Indiana University Bloomington '22
Bachelor of Arts in Politics & International Affairs and Spanish with a minor in Latin American & Latino Studies, Wake Forest University '19
To me, being a proud first-generation gradate and now staff member at NU means uplifting my family, my community, and the students I work with who also identify as First-Gen to celebrate and highlight the unique strengths we bring to every table - cultural capital, navigational capital, familial capital, aspirational capital, etc. As a proud first-generation daughter of immigrants from Ecuador and Italy, and Latina college graduate, I believe my role is to give back to my communities through service, support, culturally relevant leadership, and to work collectively to cultivate a more equitable, socially-just world for all First-Gen folks.
Associate Director, Student Enrichment Services
DePauw University, Bachelors of Arts in Communication; Miami University of Ohio, Master of Science in Student Affairs & Higher Education
It’s the hustle I inherited from my mom and it's the pride that I (with and because of the support of my family & mentors) I earned two degrees. It's also a responsibility to share my first-generation story, whether it’s with my Latinx community, my first-gen community, and/or with those who have not or don’t see themselves accessing the people and spaces that I am part of everyday by being a member of the Northwestern community. So often, I feel that challenges and barriers shape the first-generation narrative, and yeah, I get that. It is different and it is hard, and our experiences are not always as visible as other college-going narratives. At the same time 5 years out of college, and 3 out of graduate school, I do feel that who I am and how I succeeded are because I am a first-generation college student, not in spite of.
Being FirstGen means honoring the sacrifices made by friends, family, and community for me to succeed while opening doors for those coming after me. It means navigating spaces that weren't built for me and making them environments where I experience belonging. It means having a community that cares about me and is invested in my thriving. It means that my perspectives lend themselves to a fresh take on what’s possible. Being FirstGen means the challenges I might face are really the launch pad for change and future success.
Northeastern Illinois University - Masters in Educational Leadership ( Higher Education)
University of Illinois at Chicago - Masters in Linguistics, BFA in Photography
Grand Valley State University, BA; Bowling Green State University, MM; Indiana University, MLS
My parents always encouraged me toward college, as they expected education would provide me with more career options than they had. They were certainly right. But since the path I took was different than theirs or anyone else in my family, there was a lot I needed to figure out myself. That included not only the logistics of attending college, but also adjusting to the ways new ideas and experiences ultimately shaped me, my beliefs, where I live, and other major aspects of life.
Oakland University, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Sociology
University of Michigan, Master of Social Work (MSW), Interpersonal Practice/Mental Health Concentration
As a first generation college student, I felt like I was walking through campus with cement blocks for feet. It was so hard to shake that feeling that I didn't belong and I drew on every ounce of courage, resilience, hustle, and shameless self-advocacy I could muster just to get through the year. It wasn't a straight path, but it was my path and at the end of it, I'm proud that a branch of long-standing intergenerational poverty ends with me. To be a first generation college student is to be a generational curse-breaker!
Associate Director, International & Area Studies
University of Chicago, M.A. Social Science (Cultural Anthropology), DePaul University, B.A. Latin American and Latino Studies
As the daughter of Mexican immigrants and coming from a low-income household, it means that despite many obstacles and hurdles there is a path to success. I feel that I have been fortunate enough to find support and resources throughout my life to help me get to where I am. I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without the support and hard work of my parents, family, friends and mentors over the years. Through a combination of non-profit organizations, dedicated teachers, generous scholarships and continued support I was able to accomplish my goals of receiving my BA and MA. It reinforces my belief that that these social and educational resources I had access to are so vital to the growth and success of our communities.
Being first generation means being a strong role model for those going through the same process. It means creating visibility for the wide array of possibilities available to us. And I also think it comes with the responsibility to mentor and support those that come after us.
Associate Director, Health Professions Advising
Aberdeen University, MA; Loyola University Chicago, MEd
Overcoming the fear of failure and not fitting in at college. Getting comfortable asking questions when others seemed to already know the answers. Gradually understanding that valuing my degree was a process.
Your journey will be different, but you made it here and for sure you can make it out of here with letters after your name, new friends and stories, some of which old friends might not care for, but can be shared in different ways.
Director of Development, Alumni Relations & Development
Shaw University, BS; Loyola University Chicago, MBA
I once heard someone describe being a first-generation college student as navigating through a dark room in search of the light switch – you stub your toes a few times but eventually, you make it to the switch and you turn on the lights. Once illuminated, you can see the obstacles and pitfalls in the room you call life. As a first-generation college student, I am afforded the opportunity to help other first-gen students find the light switch quicker than I did, thus identifying the obstacles of life in a shorter time frame. This reduction in time ensures that they can reach farther and climb higher than I have. My primary goal in life is to give back to other first-gen students while teaching them how to pay it forward.
University of Illinois at Chicago, BA; Dominican University, MLIS
Navigating college was difficult for me, and I assumed that this was what everyone experienced, so I just did my best to figure it out. It wasn’t until very recently that I realized that I was a first-generation college student. Not knowing how to pick classes, struggling with figuring out financial aid, not knowing who I could ask, being afraid to ask questions (because everyone else knows), impostor syndrome, really my whole college experience all had a new context for me. The support I had from my parents, friends, and mentors helped to get me where I am today. As a part of Northwestern, I want to be able to provide support for other first-generation students to make sure they can be successful.
Director, Multicultural Student Affairs
DePaul University, BA; DePaul University, MS
Being a first-generation college graduate means being grateful for all the sacrifices my parents made leaving their homeland in Mexico and working multiple jobs to make a good life in the United States. It means paving a new direction and way of life for my family. It means relying on the work and expertise of professionals to guide you through the college experience. I have worked in higher education for the past 13 years to help students navigate their college experience and remove barriers to academic success.
DePaul Univeristy, BA; Dominican University, MS
It means being adaptable in a way many of your peers might not have to be and often having to be self-reliant in facing challenges.
Bachelors Degree, Major in Writing -Northwestern UniversityAssociates Degree in Administrative Assisting - Fox College
Being a first-generation college student is humbling. I have never discussed college choices and careers with my parents, but I found that there are networks of people and resources to help with this. Being first means I was free to carve my own path, and it also means I can share what I've learned with others. It's a gratifying experience.
My grandma often would say "You can either rise above it, or fall down with it" during droughts or on the farm. I didn't know that this phrase would resound in my subconscious during periods in my academic career which required resilience. As a first-generation student, there were certainly times in which I felt inadequate, under-prepared, naive, and jealous of those who had additional guidance from family members. In these times, I leaned heavily on the guidance on school administration. Through their encouragement and help, I realized I was worthy of an education and could utilize learned skill sets to be an agent of change in my life and others.
Senior Director, Student Enrichment Services
DePaul University, BA in Psychology – Community Psychology; University of Chicago, MA in Social Work – Clinical Concentration
To me being first-generation means to be resourceful. While I was in school I would often tell people that I "just figured it out." I learned quickly that my friends, professors, and the resources at the school were my greatest assets for professional success. For me being first-generation is not necessarily about me alone, but rather an accumulation of my grandparents coming to Chicago from Puerto Rico with little, my parents working on weekends to pay my discounted Catholic school tuition, and my personal drive to be a resource to my family, and to others.
Assistant Vice-President of Student Engagement, Student Affairs
Bowling Green State University, BA in English Education/Health Education; Western Illinois University, MA in College Student Personnel; Illinois Institute of Technology, PhD in Professional and Technical Communication
Being a first-generation college student meant that I was just as ill-informed as my parents were when it came to understanding the full college experience. We both had ideas about where I should go to college, yet neither me nor my parents were knowledgeable or intentional when it came to the decision I made about where to go to college or about what to study. When I did not choose the “right college” or the “right major,” I disappointed my family. In addition to the insecurity of not knowing how to navigate college, there came additional stressors – my parents divorced while I was in college, and the financial pressures increased as we all attempted to work through this new family reality. Happily, there were work opportunities for me in college, and the work I chose, being a Resident Assistant, offered financial relief and an opportunity to set upon a career path of Student Affairs.
Associate Vice President for Operations and Services, Student Affairs
Illinois State University, BS; Illinois State University, MS
As a first generation student, I felt like I was representing my entire family through my college experience. I was serving as someone my sisters and cousins could look up to and provide guidance to as they looked at higher education options. I had to be inquisitive and ask hard questions to my parents when completing the FAFSA, I had to advocate and fight for additional financial aid and scholarships, I had to overcome times where I was dealing with food insecurity and letting my own pride stop me from asking for help.
Administrative Assistant, Student Enrichment Services
Loyola University-Chicago, BA in Black World Studies and Classical Civilizations
Being first-gen means a new era for my family. The goals, aspirations and expectations have changed and grown. Things that seemed unattainable are now within reach and expected for the next generations.
University of California - Santa Barbara, BA; Northwestern University, MPPA
Being first generation to me means a lot of balancing. It meant trying to assimilate to American ways and blaze my own path without parents or family knowing what to recommend or next steps for me. It also meant respecting my parents' cultural traditions and not to take their ignorance and expectations personally. It meant that I had to work harder to figure stuff out, swallow my pride and ask for help including looking for mentors. The mentors that I sought out in school eventually meant that I would seek out mentors as I dipped into the working world and community. And once I had certain tools and knowledge, it evolved into sharing it with my generation – my younger siblings, cousins or even the informal mentees that I had picked up at school or in the community. I tell my students and faculty that my door is always open to them because I want to hear what is going on. If I somehow have the knowledge, experience or connection to help make their lives better, I’m going to help.
Director for Career Development
Cleveland State University, BA & MA; University of Wisconsin-Madison, MS
I am the only member of my family to hold an undergraduate degree, as well as the only member to hold a graduate degree. As a first generation student, there was so much I didn't know, and so much I didn't know that I didn't know! When I realized this, I had to conquer my fear of asking questions and of asking for help. However, I have gained many skills from being a first generation student, such as independence, being a quick learner, and adaptability. Most of all, I have learned to be resourceful, and to always keep my long term goals in mind, especially when I get discouraged by obstacles. I want to help students navigate the college process in any way that I can. Please feel free to reach out any time!
Financial Assistant, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Illinois at Chicago, BA; Northwestern, MS
Being first-generation means that you are a trailblazer. I began at a community college because I didn't know about the different funding options or scholarship opportunities. Thanks to administrators at my community college, I discovered that there were several ways to fund my education. If it weren't for those administrators, then I probably would not have graduated. Due to missteps I made along the way, I decided in college that I wanted to be a mentor to Latinas and other first-generation students to help them develop self-efficacy skills.
Northwestern University, M.S. in Higher Education; National Louis University, M.A in Teaching; University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A.
Being first-generation means being brave. It's brave to embark on a journey when you don't know what to expect. It's brave to tackle a challenge when you don't know if you will have adequate support. I also believe it was brave of my parents to support me in achieving a four-year degree since they had no experience in this area. In some ways, being first-generation is similar to being a pioneer. My experience was sometimes scary, disappointing, and uncertain, but it was absolutely worth it.