Being a college student is not an easy task, for many reasons. Dealing with transitioning from high school, becoming an adult and planning for the future are all some of the many things that a college student must consider. We all live off of coffee and thrive best during the weekend. Yet, deep down, way deep down, like depths of the ocean down, we enjoy going school. We simply just wish it would go by quicker and easie

College is a difficult time, for anyone. However, being the first generation is even more stressful.

Usually, parents who go to college are the main driving forces that help their family members apply and get into college. They have gone through this type of institution, have seen the benefits, and do their part in encouraging their own offspring to do so also. As a first generation student, this is not possible. Since we have no one that has gone through this process before, applying becomes an extremely difficult task. It's daunting, it's scary, it seems as plausible as like a shot in the dark. As first generation students, our parents are not able to relate to our experiences, at all.

As first generation students, we want to make everyone proud. Our parents, or grandparents, our aunts and uncles, even our neighborhood friends, they are all people who we consider affecting whenever we make any choice in college. This adds an intensely complicated layer of stress to our already stressful college lifestyle. We often consider choosing a specific career path for the sake of making people proud, regardless if we actually enjoy or care about that field at all.

This type of behavior is extremely dangerous. It forces students who believe they must be unhappy and unmotivated while studying for their future careers, only to graduate and be unhappy and unmotivated while working in their careers.

As first generation students, we must be able to follow our true life callings. We should be able to follow our dreams ad passions without fearing repercussions or unkept promises. By encouraging other incoming first generation college students to seek their passions, we will be able to create well-rounded individuals who go into college understanding the idea that college is about finding and pursuing your passions, instead of simply trudging along to a lifestyle or subject that you hate.

So, if you feel lost, just stop, look around. And try to create a different path. The fact that we are enrolled in college is proof enough that we are more than competent. We, as first generation college students, will dominate!