First-Generation College Stories

To some people, going to college is expected. For a first generation college student, it is the ultimate accomplishment.

If I could give advice to my college self, I would tell her that, “Even though your path looks different, you belong here. Everyone here has a story, has made mistakes, and has overcome obstacles to get here.”

TRiO, the student support program, showed me an incredible amount of support. I especially relied on them when I was attending community college before I transferred to the UW.

“Even though your path looks different, you belong here.”
–Cara, ‘21

What does being a First Generation college student mean to me? I can now provide a better life for my family and be a positive role model for my family.

I never imagined that I would graduate college from the University of Washington, it was always a dream of mine. I remember in high school taking a tour of the campus. My grandpa always encouraged me to get an education and career. It was one of the hardest goals I have ever set for myself, but such a great accomplishment. I worked at night while going to college on scholarships. The University of Washington had amazing teachers and learning how to navigate everything alone was a challenge, but I paved the way for my family to someday go to the University of Washington also.

After so many ups and downs and the encouragement from the Minority Affairs department, my love of learning and reading, I was able to get my BA.

Graduating from college has provided so many opportunities for me. I have the best career now working still with the UW family at UW Medicine where my dream first started coming back full circle where my mother was cured of her cancer at the UW hospital in Seattle. Completing my college degree has led me to working with the best leadership team I have ever worked with out of all the clinics I have worked at. I have been honored to help support a team that was on the frontlines during the Covid crisis.
 

“Graduating from college has provided so many opportunities for me.”
–Vivian, ‘13

Knowing I’d be a first generation graduate fueled my determination to succeed and make my own mark! Stepping into uncharted territory was daunting but, while challenging, there was an air of both excitement and hope.

I didn’t want to limit myself, I wanted to gain skills and knowledge, and my passion for biology drove me to pursue a degree. A higher education would not only better my future but also provide more career opportunities.

College isn’t just a step in the right direction to a degree and career, it’s a place to learn, grow, set examples and encounter different perspectives.

My mother was a major source of support, especially during stressful courses or projects. She’d remind me that lowering my stress was essential to having clear judgment. To be able to navigate challenges and stay focused on my goals.

The advice I would give to my college self would be, to live in the moment. Take it step by step and don’t stress. Enjoy the campus, community and join the clubs that interest you. Most importantly, make time for yourself!
 

“College isn’t just a step in the right direction to a degree and career, it’s a place to learn, grow, set examples and encounter different perspectives.”
–Roaa, ‘24

Being a First Generation College Student means that I am the legacy that my posterity will look to as they carry our family name forward.

“I am the legacy that my posterity will look to.”
–Patrick, ‘10

Growing up in the Seattle area, there was always an expectation that I would go to the UW. When I was a kid, my dentist, who was an alum, told me I was going to play for the Huskies. My family was always supportive of me going to college, but they didn’t know how to support me to make it happen.

By senior year of high school, I wasn’t motivated to do the applications or figure out how I was going to pay for school. I went to Community College for two days the next fall and then dropped out. For the next 20 years, I tried several different options to try to get my degree. When I started something new, I would get the family moral support, but no one could give me any real guidance.

Then, in 2012, my wife Sabrina went to UW Bothell to get her Teaching Certificate. The campus was literally across the freeway from my office, but I had never been on campus. She encouraged me to check out the programs there and find something that was interesting to me. She and the UWB staff helped me understand how to get credit for all the classes I had taken at six different schools and how to apply for financial aid.

Two years later I was walking across the stage at Hec-Ed and getting ready to go to grad school. My parents got to see me graduate, and I was able to finally call myself a Husky!

The advice that I would have given myself was the same advice my wife gave me: find something that is interesting to you. You are going to spend a lot of time reading, talking and writing about it, don’t pick a major that sounds boring from the start.

“The UWB staff helped me understand how to get credit for all the classes I had taken at six different schools.”
–Chad, ‘14

I was one of those lucky young ladies who was able to graduate from the University of Washington in 1957. I attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle, and this again was such a positive for my ability to continue to college. The expectation was that I would attend college even though the odds of this happening were very slim.

My father was an orphaned Russian immigrant. He arrived in Seattle on the S.S. President Jackson from Yokohama, Japan in 1923. He was 13 years old and had two brothers, one 15 and one 11. They arrived with no money, no English language, and no family to greet them. Their parents were killed in the 1923 earthquake in Yokohama as the family was awaiting passage to the United States. The family was from Elabuga, on the Volga, and they crossed Siberia on the railroad to Harbin, China and then eventually on to Japan. My grandfather had been in the United States and he know this is where he wanted to take his family as the revolution began in Russia in 1915.

The three boys were sent to a truck farm in Issaquah and worked for return of board and room. When the oldest brother had enough English, he moved into Seattle, worked, and then brought his brothers to live with him. All had very little schooling, but my father graduated from Broadway High School in Seattle. He had mostly failing grades with the language issues, but top grades in all his math classes. He worked as a janitor when I was young and eventually became a woodworking machine salesman — much beloved by his customers. He had a charming personality and loved people. He also understood the importance of education. He often told me that if I ever wanted to live differently from the way we were living, I needed an education and a profession to take me through the bumps of life. He also shared, he never wanted to hear that I got into trouble at school and if he did, it would be double trouble for me when I got home. I was the oldest of two girls and expectations were high.

Fortunately, I loved school and thrived in the environment of high school and with my friends who were all intending on college. I quickly fell into the mode that yes — I would be going to college. My maternal grandmother was very supportive of my goals and was able to be of some help financially when I made the choice to attend WSC, in those days in Pullman, WA. Leaving home was very alluring to me and with some other close girlfriends we headed for WSC, but it was an expensive cost for my family and after two years, I made the choice to apply to the University of Washington. I could live at home, work, and go to school. Such a wise decision this was. I was still unsure what profession I would pursue — education, nursing and/or sociology were acceptable choices for women in those early days. I knew I did not wish to work nights or weekends as a nurse. My parents did not understand what sociology was and as I had not unusual talent, education was the choice. What a wise choice this was!

When the decision was made with the guidance of a most helpful counselor, we decided that being an elementary teacher would work well for me with my skills, personality and interest. I was so lucky to have had the best professors, and eventually Miss MacDonals who guided me in my student teaching experience. She was amazing. I cannot believe how, with the number of students she supervised, she made each connection so personal. It was so important to her that we succeeded. She was very tough on her rules, expecting nothing but the best effort on our part. But we learned, we thrived, and I felt prepared when I accepted my first teaching job at Edmonds Elementary School, third grade, in Edmonds, WA. I also taught in Bellevue, WA; for many years in Wenatchee, WA; and as an elementary principal in Sedro-Woolley. I ended up supervising student teachers for Washington State University in Wenatchee. How proud my parents were of me when they attended my graduation in June of 1957. My father would from then on introduce me as his daughter, the teacher. He would beam with pride. I would continue to teach and work in education for 25-30 years.

What continues to make this story so special is that my father’s oldest brother died at 21 and never married or had children. His younger brother also did not have a child that attended college and my dear younger sister found other avenues that gave her happiness. I credit my life’s journey with the support of family, friends, the excellent high school education I had in those years at Roosevelt High School and the counseling, support, and caring supervision I experienced at the University of Washington. I was motivated to succeed, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had. I have had a marvelous life, one I could hardly imagine when I was a young girl, living in an immigrant family of limited income and few options available to live the good life. Yes — education was my ticket for all that I enjoy today at age 87. Thank you, University of Washington! (I have three children who are all graduates of WSU — Cougars! Also, all my grandchildren have college degrees.)

“My father would from then on introduce me as his daughter, the teacher. He would beam with pride.”

—Connie, ’57

I am fortunate to be a first-generation college student. In 1859 my ancestor left Germany to avoid doing military service for the Kaiser. He came to the United States in time to be in our Civil War. After surviving two major battles, he got dysentery and deserted, going to Iowa which at that time, was considered the far west. My parents were born in the World War I era; my brothers and I during World War II. My father and his siblings served in both the European and Pacific theaters of WWII as enlisted men. During the Viet Nam conflict, my brother Curtis, an officer and jet fighter pilot, flew 200 missions, 80 of them over North Viet Nam.

As high school kids, we played pickup football games in empty lots. The guy across the street noticed one of the big kids bullying and hurting smaller ones. Since the man across the street was short and looked meek and mild, we invited him to join the game. He was hard on the bully, and repeatedly put the bully face down in the dirt. The quiet man, it turned out, played football at the local college.

I was aware of the local college because it was located across the street from my high school. I went out for high school football, and my junior year annual contains this on page 111: “One bright spot for fans was a spectacular 103 yard punt by kicking ace, Tom Bennett. Astounded spectators watched Bennett’s booming kick travel from end zone to end zone. It was the longest punt ever kicked by an East High player.”

After graduation from high school, I moved to southern California and lived with my aunt Ruth, an elementary school principal. She motivated me to go to college. I attended Long Beach City College, which now has 24,000 students. I played football there, and that resulted in UCLA offered me a football scholarship.

I would advise myself to get as much college education as possible, which I did:

• Long Beach City College: Associate’s Degree
• UCLA: Bachelor’s Degree
• University of Washington: Master’s Degree
• Washington State University: Doctor of Philosophy Degree

“I am fortunate to be a first-generation college student.” — Tom, ’67

Being a First Gen college student was a huge source of pride for my family. I was not only the first person in my family to graduate from college, but also the first to obtain my PhD. I grew up in a blue collar background where education was not valued as much, but my father pushed me to get an education and I really enjoyed reading and learning.

I had to work three jobs through my undergraduate years to pay for school and had earned a full tuition scholarship. In graduate school, I had a research assistantship to support me financially. I grew up economically challenged and knew how to survive with very little money.

While in graduate school at UW, I found that there was very little support or understanding for First Gen students. Most of my colleagues had graduated from the Ivy League or prominent schools and came from middle or upper middle class backgrounds. There was subtle mocking of my poverty and stark differences in our backgrounds that were not treated with compassion. It felt lonely and isolating. Most professors were not sympathetic to these challenges.

Nevertheless, I persisted, survived and went on to a flourishing career. My advice is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other day by day, and find your allies where you can. There may not be very many allies out there, but there are some and they will help you to move forward.

“My advice is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other day by day, and find your allies where you can.” –Tracy, ‘04

Being a First Generation college student meant a lot of things to me. The huge responsibility to represent not only my family, but myself! There were no guideposts! And it was the chance to encounter new ideas and perspectives that I still consider priceless to this day. It meant professors guiding me not just through learning the material, but learning how to learn! It meant critical thinking and challenging presuppositions.

As for motivation, it was initially my parents, coupled with my sense of adventure and a desire to get out of the countryside.

I had big dreams of being surrounded by different people and continuing my education, but I had a near-falling out with my parents over whether I would continue. Just before my second year started, my father got a new job and suddenly our financial system changed: according to the rules, we could not, somehow, afford my education.

I debated taking time off to really think deeply about what I wanted to do with my life, as the financial burden was overwhelming, but it was ultimately my mother who encouraged me to continue and took a lot of the burden on herself. She told me with what looked like flames in her eyes that I was going to college no matter what.

Honestly, the best thing about my college experience was what I expected: a combination of meeting people from all over the world and seeing from their perspectives. It further solidified my goals, my values and who I am today.

When I needed support with paperwork, I turned to my mother, but when I needed emotional support, I turned to my bestie and roommate. We couldn’t offer each other answers, but we could offer support, and there were many days where one of us would wrap the other in blankets, bring them something warm to drink, and listen to their troubles.

If I had the chance to give my college self any advice, I would tell her to go out there and not be afraid. And that, yes, one day, she would end up in Japan.

“When I needed emotional support, I turned to my bestie and roommate. We couldn’t offer each other answers, but we could offer support.” –Leslie, ‘09

As first-generation immigrants from the Philippines, my family and I began our journey with very little means. My first home in the U.S. was a tiny apartment in South Seattle where I lived with my dad, grandmother, aunt, and uncle. While my family was tasked with survival in a new country—working long hours with little pay, facing language barriers in bureaucratic systems, and navigating conflicting cultural values—I have come to recognize that their struggles and sacrifices have allowed me the opportunity to focus not only on my education but on self-actualization. Oh, what a privilege it has been to seek purpose and fulfillment!

Through my doctoral research on resisting punishment, confinement and dehumanization in rigid educational systems, I have felt a strong pull to reconnect with my Filipina identity through the embodiment of the cultural core values of “utang na loob” and “kapwa.”

Drawing parallels to Disability Justice and Indigenous perspectives, “utang na loob” is about showing gratitude to those who have helped you, and “kapwa” is about embracing our shared identity as humans and responsibility to one another. These values are not about the re-payment of a favor, but rather the gratitude and acknowledgment that no one is ever “self-made” — we are all interdependent and our struggles and joys are interconnected. To me, being a first-generation college student at the University of Washington means gaining critical consciousness and feeling empowered to reclaim the identity that was once erased by oppressive systems. As the first in my family to work toward a PhD, I am filled with so much pride not just for myself, but for all the people I carry with me in my work — past, present, and future.