The sound of slamming lockers and chattering voices fill the hall. As I walk through the school, I take in the familiarity of the scattered homework and sleep-deprived juniors. For some, high school is nothing more than a reality TV show, a place to fulfill their shallow social needs or an easy boat ride into the next wave of their life. It becomes increasingly more difficult to understand the importance of such institutionalized schooling when your path is set and your road is clear.
However, for first-generation students, the priority that education takes is unconditional. A first-generation student is defined as the child of parents/legal guardians who have never received a bachelor's degree. For many people, such as myself, that also includes being one of the first few graduates in your extended family to ever set foot in high school, much less a four-year university.
To measure our dedication is to understand our lifestyle.
See, the thing about being a first-generation student in the United States is that from the moment you are born, there are certain expectations you must fulfill. There's the ongoing pressure of needing to succeed constantly drilled into your mind. From the moment you are able to gurgle out the semblance of a first word, your parents are enforcing the importance of success.
Achievements are a requirement, not an option.
It was shown in the way my gentle mother would discuss my options for when I attended college, never if. It was depicted in the stories of injustice my immigrant father would tell me, his eyes begging me to strive for more; accomplishment was showcased in my own actions, each failed grade a stab not only to me but to the livelihood of my family.
I have to live not only for myself but for the sake of my parents who risked everything to get me to this point. My life is not my own, but instead an embodiment of everything it means to want to succeed in spite of extreme adversities.
You have to be humble but strong to be able to cry in the face of failure with no other option but to stand up again.
To be a first-generation student is to be an example. Undocumented or not, you are carving the path so many others have had paved for them. You are responsible for creating the road for others behind you, teaching the younger generation that it is possible to succeed in a society where everything is against you.
You have to throw yourself into the unknown, the unpredictable future. With little to no guidance, you are left blind to feel along as you go, never knowing when you're about to run into something.
Being first-generation is more than being one of the first in your family to receive higher education; it is about being a pioneer.
To all first-generation students, to my sisters, my cousins, my friends, to every single one of you: today, I recognize your courage.
Thank you for leading the way for generations to come. I am proud to be one of you.
