Mid-Month Mini Episode: Setting a Precedent: First-Generation College Students

[00:00:00] We are a resource for learners, including every member of the live strong cancer institutes on track educational pipeline from middle school to residency, we are a growing collection of interviews, talks and experiences, the uncover, the myths and the uncertainties of cancer and careers in cancer in order to empower and inspire.

Generations of thinkers and leaders. This is cancer uncovered an education and empowerment podcast by the live strong cancer institutes. I’m ginger Okoro with the lifts trunk cancer institutes, any merging cancer center at the university of Texas at Austin Dell medical school. Dr. Benton brown and Tatiana Callahan discussed today’s topic surrounding being first generation students.

What questions does one ask? Where do you go for resources and [00:01:00] why being a first-generation student goes beyond social economic determinants. Let’s listen in while bento and Tatiana break down the successes and the sacrifice. Hi, my name is Ben brown and I am the director of diversity and talent management at the university of Texas for the financial and administrative services portfolio.

I am joined with my esteemed colleague. Tatiana. Thank you. Binta my name is Tatyana Callahan. I am the assistant vice president and chief business officer for the financial and administrative services business services group at the university of Texas at Austin. And I identify as a first gen college students.

So that’s a nice segue into the title of this podcast, Tatiana and I are just going to have a [00:02:00] conversation about first-generation college students, what it means. Resources, all the misconceptions you ready to get into this Tatiana? Absolutely. Just to frame the conversation. I always like to give definitions, right?

So what is a fish iteration? College students. So if you’re an individual. Who in the immediate family is the first person to attend college. That’s you? You’re a first-generation college student. I’m all formal definition provided by the center for first-generation students. Success defines first-generation college student as an undergraduate whose parents do not possess if four year degree.

College degree. Uh, next good step is to kind of talk about some of the myths or misconceptions that many folks have around first-generation college student. I think that most people assume first-generation college students are minorities or [00:03:00] students of color, and they come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those are not necessarily true.

A first gen student comes in many. Flavors. There are many, many first-gen students who are not students of color or low socioeconomic statuses. That being said, I am a black female. I, um, am from Houston, Texas from a low socioeconomic status. I am a minority and I was a teen mom. As well, even though we can’t assume these things, I happened to tick off some of those stereotypes about a first gen college student.

However, I did attend the university of Texas at Austin. I got my undergraduate degree from UT Austin and went on to get my MBA from Concordia university. I am living proof that first-gen students can be [00:04:00] successful in their endeavors. All other college students attaching a thank you for being so transparent with your personal story.

I think they can be a lot of deficit-based thinking around first-generation students. One of these other misconceptions is that generation students and not academically prepared. Right. Why is being a first generation college student even matter? Why is this conversation important, Tatiana? Yes. I think it matters because when we think of the experience of a first generation student and their success, They have additional hurdles to overcome when entering college and just understanding the process, how to apply for a grant, how to pay for college.

There are so many resources, there’s financial aid grants, scholarships, but you need to know that in order to access those resources and you may not, and you [00:05:00] don’t know what you don’t know. Right. And so how do you bridge that? Yeah, the knowledge gap, that’s the biggest hurdle. So that knowledge gap is huge.

When it comes to first-generation students, you were upfront about identifying as a first-generation college student. Talk to me about how your own experiences with. Creating the sense of belonging and community as being the first in your family to take on this huge steps, living in a residential freshmen interest group, a fig program.

So I was living with. Freshmen students. So that helped. And there were many programs that were geared towards first year students. In particular, we had a class together. We had an advisor and a faculty member that were assigned to our group. Our fig helped tremendously. My advisor actually was also a first gen student, so, you know, helped me and.[00:06:00]

Pointed me in the right direction. Whenever I had a question, I knew that I could go to her and get advice she’d been through it. So she knew, she told me, go talk to your professors, go to your office hours, get some FaceTime. So that they’d know who you are. This. She told me to speak to my academic advisor.

She connected me with a job opportunity on campus. So it was her help and support. And also getting involved. I joined student organizations that helped me and overall college for me was a wonderful experience because of those things, because of making those connections, networking, the power of network is connected.

Creating meaningful connections with different people, right? It’s important to find that collective, to build that community of support around you. How is tell people that relationships are incredibly important because people. On information, resources and opportunities going [00:07:00] away for college. Uh, didn’t just mean leaving my family, where I felt I belonged and comfortable and safe.

I left my daughter back home as well. I was not able to fully disconnect and focus on my college experience. That was tough. I don’t know that I navigated it perfectly. That was the rough. All around. And that’s not necessarily a visible aspect of who you are willing to share that and be vulnerable by saying that, you know, I’m having a tough time with being separated from my family and my very young daughter.

Right. And so thank you so much for sharing that. We can talk about some key tips for this successful transition to an experience at college as a first-generation student, can you tubes. Reach out. Get the help that you [00:08:00] need. Ask questions. Your are absolutely positively not alone. You’re not the first.

You’re not going to be the last the university you want your you to be successful. If the goal is for you to succeed for you to have a full and rich college experience to graduate, to go on to a successful life. There are resources. There are programs. Out there for you summer bridge program and other programs that universities, university of Texas definitely has a summer bridge program.

Can help, uh, support you throughout your college career. Post college. I get in you, um, complete your degree. You graduate. If you’re a first gen students getting that degree and it’s life changing, but that doesn’t mean your work in there. You still have to work after that in order to be successful. Yeah.

That’s such a valid point. You know, what comes next? What does success mean to you? There isn’t just a linear path, right? There are many different ways that you can [00:09:00] reach your goals, whatever that may be. Okay. But in a college degree might be part of that. It’s always important to just take time, to reflect and figure out, okay.

What’s important to me now it mentioned connecting with people, finding mentors, but how do I decide when to start? Y which college do I go to? Is it going to be a right fit for me? You can take college tours. If you access information on mentorships and scholarships and linen communities and where you learn more and you start to build a network with university personnel or key people on campus, where you have that a little bit of familiarity, you feel like I know a specific person that I can always reach out to other different orientation sessions specific for first-generation students that address some of the more common, unique needs.

That this group of students may experience throughout their collegic journey. Are there [00:10:00] workshops for the parents and guardians who it’s not just, you know, to student it impacts the entire family as well. So other universities do they offer specific or high schools offer specific workshops for parents and guardians to just learn about.

The basics are on college admissions, right? What does that process look like and help, you know, these families debunked, some of those myths about, you know, the affordability of college and figuring out the best way to support your learners. Academic success. Let’s wrap this up with a nice bow Tatiana, a couple of resources that we want to leave.

You to help you with your decision and your transition to college. It’s the center for the first generation student success. Another one is first in the family.org. Um, first.org college advising Corp and college board blog, Tatiana. [00:11:00] Thank you again for being my partner. Important discussion about social generation, quiet students.

Thank you, Benson and true transparency. I’m a first generation college student. Interestingly enough, I’m the youngest member of my immediate family, but actually the first two graduate of the three of them. I then went on to pursue a master’s degree. Also a first, although members of my extended family completed degrees.

This was a first for the low family, my immediate family, navigating college tours, financial aid, coursework, advisors, campus classrooms, and working full time all four years, sometimes two to three jobs. Well, it’s challenging yet. I was fortunate and blessed to persevere because of campus resources at my Alma mater in [00:12:00] Tennessee, I knocked on a lot of doors and honestly pushed on a lot of doors and opened some windows as well.

Similarly to Binta and Tatyana’s experience. I was not alone on the journey. There were others who were ahead of me, who served as mentors during out this time. Thank you for joining and listening to today’s enriching episode. Did you enjoy it, please? Like subscribe, share, and post. For questions about this episode or the lift strong cancer institutes, please email live strong cancer institutes@dellmeddotutexas.edu.

Follow our department, chair and director Dr. Gail Eckhart on Twitter at S as in Sue, Gail, G a I [00:13:00] L. E C K H a R D T. This is ginger. Okoro asking you to consider ways that maybe you could reach out to a first-generation student. If you are a first-generation student, please ensure that you look out for resource.

We have many of them that were mentioned in the episode, you can also email us again@theliveseancancerinstitutesatdellmedthatyoutexas.edu. We’ll be sure to send you a list. I want to thank you again for your ongoing support of cancer uncovered.