A couple of weeks ago, I received my AA degree in the mail. I received my AA degree last December and transferred to CSU Fresno this spring semester. When I showed my dad my AA, he said I should be proud, because my parents nor grandparents had gotten this far.

It was the first time anyone had gotten an AA degree in my family, and I am the first to attend a four-year university. It wasn’t easy since I had no one to guide me on what classes to take, or what to expect when attending college. I depended on friends and my academic counselors to tell me what I had to do. I depended on myself to figure out how to get financial aid, and how to navigate a college campus.

My parents always stressed that college was so important since I wouldn’t have to struggle financially as they had. My dad especially would tell me that I could get a degree in whatever I wanted, and it would go a long way. He valued a college degree as a gateway to a better career and financial stability. Although my parents were optimistic about getting a college degree, I was not.

There was a time when stopped going to school and allowed myself to be okay with that since my parents never attended college and seemed to get by. However, working a 40-hr. retail job started to wear me down. Although I made decent money, I was still living at home and it was job I despised. I began to see the opportunities in gaining a Bachelor’s Degree and decided I needed to finish school.

The fact that I could decide on any degree of my choice motivated me to continue to work on my Bachelor’s degree. I am now halfway to getting my BA in English and will be excited when I become the first in my immediate family to graduate from college.

For anyone else going through the struggles of being a first generation college student, know you are not alone. Whether you are attending college far from home or close to home, or your parents support your education or not, know that in the end, it will be worth it.

In those times you feel like giving up and quitting school, know that a college degree, even just a Bachelor’s will allow a window of opportunity that cannot be gained with just a high school diploma. Do not let others discourage you, and be proud of the day you are the first in your family to walk across that graduation stage.