As the end of the semester draws near, essay due dates, exam times, finals schedules and copious pots of coffee arrive with it. I'm finishing up my third semester, so it's safe to say I've got the rhythm of college life down fairly well. However, it's taken me a lot of work to get to this point. If you would have told me my freshman year of high school that I would have the opportunity to receive my Bachelor's degree within three years I would have 1) asked you what that means and 2) probably wouldn't have believed you.
Growing up, my parents instilled in me the importance of sticking to my studies and made college my number one goal. They dedicated their lives to ensuring my brother and I had greater opportunities than they had. Although they worked honest jobs, they continuously told us we could achieve more with a college degree. I owe my educational success in part to their unwavering support. However, during my senior year of high school, I realized there's so much more to the college world than just the desire to go. When I began my search for higher education, I realized just how little I really knew. Things like "credit hours," applying for federal aid, different types of degrees, or "colleges within universities" were concepts that I had never heard of previously. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and neither did my parents, because they didn't have the opportunity to pursue higher education. The difficulties that came with being a first-generation college student soon became apparent.
I found myself feeling behind a few times as my peers would say something like, "Yeah, my mom set up a college visit for me," or, "My dad's helping me with applications this weekend". It wasn't that my parents didn't support me, it was just an entirely foreign process for both of us and they had no idea how to help. So while my mom would work late into the night as a building maintenance supervisor and my dad would just get home from a tiring day as a natural gas line foreman, I would be researching scholarships, transfer credits, and college programs on my own. It quickly became an overwhelming jumbled mess in my head and there definitely were tears shed throughout my college search.
Luckily, I was blessed with incredible teachers and advisers who helped me immensely. Their assigned workloads helped prepare me for the rigor of college courses and the expectations of college professors. Whether it was by writing letters of recommendation, guiding me through the different college processes, or showing me what to look for in a university, their support proved to me that I wasn't alone. It didn't matter that my parents don't have college degrees. If anything, it pushed me to work harder and demonstrated my will to achieve this long sought-after goal.
There were many things I had to learn on my own the hard way, but my struggles serve as a point of pride. I have overcome so much to be where I am today. To the other thousands of students who face the same struggles: you can do it. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. Your hard work and determination will overcome the obstacles to come. And you will be able to face anyone and say with your chin up,
"I did it."
