My First Gen Story 2026

Submitted by Heather Jones, MLIS

First Year Experience & Student Success Librarian

I am a First Gen graduate student. At The Chicago School a First Gen graduate student is defined as a student whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have not completed a master’s or higher degree in the United States.

My mother completed her bachelor’s degree in teaching from Northwest Missouri State University, and my father attended one semester of college in Rolla, Missouri, but did not complete his degree due to homesickness and helping his parents work their farm in Missouri, north of Kansas City. I am the first in my family to complete a graduate degree with a master’s in Information Science from the University of North Texas. My younger brother has since completed his master’s in Business Administration, and it makes me proud to have been an example for him. I grew up on our beautiful Missouri farm and was homeschooled from 4th grade through 10th grade, along with my 3 brothers and 1 sister. Higher education was always an assumption, but it was an assumption based on financial ability. We would go as far as we could financially sustain, which was always uncertain. My maternal grandmother, who completed the 9th grade, helped me start college with a $1,000 gift.

When I think about what being a First Gen student means to me, it means feeling independent, as if my success all depends on me. In reality, this isn’t true at all. For undergraduate, even though my family couldn’t contribute much financially, they provided implicit support through the assumption that I would go to college because that meant more knowledge and education that would provide the opportunity to earn more money when I entered the workforce. For graduate school, there was a point when I didn’t even know what was meant by undergraduate versus graduate school, and I never imagined I would get a higher degree until my supervisor in a high school library said I should get my master’s in library science.

When I started my graduate program, my husband was completely supportive. I remember him giving a speech to our two daughters, asking them to help out around the house because I was going to be busy with school and work. Looking back, it is amazing the ceilings we place on ourselves simply because we don’t know what opportunities are available. At The Chicago School, my First Gen background is a strength. I can relate to others who may feel as though graduate, or even undergraduate education is a stretch, both financially and emotionally. I would like all students at The Chicago School to know how excited the staff and faculty are about helping you succeed!