Being First Podcast (Part 1): First-Generation Students' ExperiencesFirst generation students are the first in their families to attend college. How has the needs of this student population evolved over the last decade? Listen in as Dr. Glenn DeGuzman sits down with Dr. Robert Longwell-Grice, Dr. Rashné Jehangir, and Dr. La’Tonya Rease Miles to discuss this topic, the latest research, and explore what campuses can do to support this vulnerable population.
How To College: First GenAs first-gens that have experienced the process of going to and through college, the hosts are delighted to be able to share some of the insight and lessons learned along the way.
HumanizED: On Being FirstThis episode examines the journeys of three first-gen higher education students: Jake Pacansky, a 78-year old retired research chemist with a Ph.D., and Ariana Borroto and Demetri Williams, two community college students with plans to transfer to a 4-year university.
First Generation: One of ManyOn this very special episode, we hear from two guests: Deana Waintraub Stafford and Claude Taylor, who share with us the efforts they are involved with to support first-generation students and families across the nation.
A Firsthand Look at “First Gens”First-generation college students face specific challenges such as decoding the “hidden curriculum” of college life, but they also bring strong positive traits such as perseverance to the table. Hannah Harding, a summer intern at Reaching Higher, talks about the research she’s conducting on “first gens” at UNH as well as her own experiences as a first generation college student.
Scholarly Articles
Employing Resistance and Resilience in Pursuing K-12 Schooling and Higher Education: Lived Experiences of Successful Female First-Generation Students of ColorDrawing upon standpoint theory and phenomenology, this study chronicles the lived experiences of 16 successful female first-generation students of color as they pursued K-12 schooling and accessed higher education. Findings indicate that a complex set of school, family, peer, and personal factors affected students’ lived experiences in their urban environments; three holistic student profiles illustrate the interconnectedness of these factors. Stories of successful female first-generation students of color demonstrate how they, despite facing numerous challenges, used resistance and resilience during their K-12 urban schooling and when accessing higher education.
Navigating the First Year of College: Siblings, Parents, and First‐Generation Students’ ExperiencesAlthough college education is a key to upward mobility, students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to enter and complete college than their more advantaged peers. Prior literature has illuminated how cultural capital contributes to these disparities. An alternative conceptualization of cultural capital, however, suggests that it can also play a role in social mobility. In this study, we build on and extend the literature on cultural mobility by proposing that exposure to education can benefit not only individuals but also families.