Being a first-generation college student has up and downs. It can be extremely challenging, but also rewarding. From elementary school, up to high school, everyone tells us either that we must go to college or how to get into college. Yet, no one outlines the difficulties we may approach or the failure we may experience. They don’t tell you that it sucks to feel extremely alone in your journey sometimes.

For starters, college is a lot of trial and error and faking it until you make it. College is not just about the grades, the peer-reviewed articles, or your professors. It’s about self-discovery and learning about what kind of person you want to be in the future. College isn’t easy, it’s a lot of balance and determination. As long as you try to balance school work with personal issues and have the determination to keep on going and not giving up, then you can make it. As a first-generation college student, there are many things I struggle with, wonder about, and are grateful for.

My first year of college didn’t go as I wished it could’ve, it felt like I was being thrust into things without a guide. I felt like high school hadn’t prepared me enough to this new phase of my education. Long story short, I got what I called “horrible” grades and it even came to the point that I was close to losing my full scholarship. This was my first time hitting rock bottom and I didn’t know how to get back up. It was hard asking my parents for advice since all they would say is to keep on going and not to give up. But, how do I keep on going? How do I not give up? This is when I knew that I needed a hand and decided to ask for help. At the same time, a professor who oversaw my scholarship reached out to me. We talked about what I was going through and how I could still save my scholarship. I kept my scholarship and my new goal became to raise my GPA. Without her help, I don’t think I would’ve made it this far and it wasn’t the easiest to get where I am.

Just like many first-generation students, I was afraid to ask for help. No one else will be able to help you navigate your journey if they don’t know that you are lost. The faculty around you are there to help and guide you. If you need a hand, you need to go out of your way and ask for help.

So, to my fellow first-generation peers, I know we carry this mindset that we must be the best because we are the first ones to do it. I know there are times we want to give up, but I know you can do it. Do not give up. Remember that you are going to college for a purpose and not just because your parents wanted you to, but because you want to make a difference in this world with the power of knowledge that only college could provide you with. There are many of us that are going through the same thing but we cannot give up because failure is not the answer. We have bright futures ahead of us and so much more accomplishments to go. This is only just the start.