The life of a first generation student is not all sunshine and rainbows. The responsibilities, expectations, anxiety and pressure on students can be a lot to bear. Having to go to college means a lot in our families. Our parents didn’t get the opportunity to get the education that we have, this means we need to do the most with our time at college and always, always make them proud.
Some of our parents only focused on working to maintain themselves or their family. Their priority is to make sure we all are okay. They don’t care about the hard work they need to do, what matters is that we are doing better than them. What can follow with their sacrifice is sadly, our parents won’t fully understand us.
Our parents cannot help us go through college, as they have no experience, meaning they cannot give us advice on how to deal with the change of pace college is from high school. We do not have help signing up for FAFSA, learning how financial aid works, how to manage classes or how to choose a major that fits best for us. They only expect us to do better and pick a major that makes money.
Our parents don’t want us to worry how we are going to live in the future. Their mindset is, a job with high pay will make you happy and secure you with stability in the future. My parents had to find a job and work hard to get what they wanted. So, that means we need to work hard, so we can survive in this world like them. No excuses.
Along with this, there is a mindset that we need to carry. A mindset that we get from our parents: don’t fail, nothing is ever hard, you just need to work harder, and never give up or think negatively.
Further, there is the idea that depression isn’t real, and it is only for the weak, which makes us feel stressed all the time, since we feel like we cannot get depressed over school. In my experience, this has made me more likely to spiral, as I reached a breaking point when things got to be too much and unhealthy.
My mental health can easily be put at risk, and from what I have heard from other first generations students, this is a common experience.
That being said, there are cases where we have an abundance of support from our family. Each case may differ. One thing for sure is that we highly value our education and the time that we put into our work. We value our work so much that sometimes we may compare ourselves and our capabilities, leaving us in wonder if it may be enough. All of this is due to the pressure that comes with making our parents’ efforts and struggles worth it.
Luckily, at Skyline, we have resources that can help us. The support from Skyline helps us first generation students take control of our academic path. With the unconditional motivation from the community at Skyline, we strive for a hopeful future.
At Skyline we have learning communities like Puente, Kababayan and Umoja, along with clubs like Communidad, Flipinx Student Union, BSU, CSSA, International Student Club, Indonesian Student Club, Myanmar Student Union, Pacific Islander Club, SAGA and more.
These clubs allow us to have a space where we feel supported and understood. Being able to go to the Dream Center, for example, is a great way to surround yourself with amazing people, I know I do this as much as I can.
