By Kara Rice, Student Support Counselor, Washington DC Campus, TCSPP
My journey as a first-generation college student was an enlightening yet challenging experience. My journey started in the Fall of 2009 on the campus of Delaware State University. Most of the persons that I encountered… my first roommate, wing-mates, and classmates were first gens as well. This made maneuvering the ins and outs of college easier and it created a stronger bond amongst us all because we were all figuring it out along the way. As a first-generation college student, I learned how to be more independent; on the other hand, it also taught me how to give myself grace when I made mistakes and when to acknowledge when it is time to ask for help. It made me realize that I cannot be so hard on myself when I mishandled a situation because I was facing situations that I was not prepared to encounter. Fortunately, I have an amazing support system that made adjusting to undergraduate and graduate life easier. I love my journey and I have absolutely no regrets.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are things that I wish I would have known. In hindsight, there are things that I should have known that would have benefitted me personally and professionally. During my undergraduate and graduate journeys, I was hesitant to be involved in campus groups and activities. I was given academic scholarships and I feared that college was going to be too overwhelming for me to be involved in extracurricular activities. I made the decision to not engage in anything other than my studies to maintain my GPA within my first year of undergrad and my first semester of graduate school. I wish that I had more spoken with more young adults about their college experiences, so that I would have known that the success of an educational journey is dependent upon balance. I learned the hard way that it is imperative to balance your studies with self-care, to balance your studies with quality time with family and friends, to balance your studies with life.
Ultimately, walking into undergrad and grad school, I did not know what to expect. My parents tried their ultimate best to give me bits and pieces of advice from their own life experiences but there were moments where I felt that I was walking in my journey alone. The advice that I would give to first generation students at TCSPP would be to always remind yourself that you are not alone and that asking for help is a strength and not a sign of weakness. Between students, faculty, and staff… there are plenty of resources that can be given to where students can be involved socially and academically. You are not walking alone in this and there will be no negative lights shown upon you if you ask for a hand to be extended for assistance. That would be my number one piece of advice as a first-generation student.
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