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After I graduated high school I was really scared of coming into college because I didn't know what to expect. I had no one that could tell me this is how college is. It was just a complete new different world.

Some of the biggest struggles that I've had as a first generation student has been trying to make sure that you're on the right path, what courses you need to take, how you're going to afford it, scholarships. All of that is so fresh and new it's a little hard I would say to do that.

It's just those obstacles that just started coming down and just started stressing me out for college just because no one introduced me to this.

For 1st Gen students I think you have to have a holistic approach. They need those academic supports. They need financial support. You have to have social supports but that mentorship piece I think is key.

There's a lot of assistance now. There's a mentorship program where they'll put you with a staff member, a faculty member that went through the same exact thing you did to help you go from you know your freshman year to your sophomore year all the way to your senior year and ready to graduate.

So I actually have a reach mentor um Alison Paul she's one of the deans at the college and she has helped me tremendously throughout my whole college career, navigating the waters and stuff that I did not know. Our relationship in that aspect has tremendously impacted my life in the way that I always had someone to talk to whenever I needed. She helped me realize I had bigger things and bigger opportunities in my life.

She is an example of in my opinion thousands of young people who come from home environments where they would never be able to afford to send their child to college. It's not because the child doesn't have the ability. It's simply because many times there's not the financial resources available for them to go and we lose the talent of those young people.

I think another challenge for first generation students is you sometimes feel like an imposter.

There's a lot of self-doubt along the way. You're intimidated by faculty by staff sometimes. There's this mentality that I can take I can do it on my own and that's not the case.

I would tell other first generation students to keep going, don't give up and just keep on trying.

Ask for help, accept help, know that there are people who are willing to help you and that they want to help.

I got to overcome these obstacles just by asking questions. Talk to your professors, talk to your advisors, take advantage of all those resources that we have here.

I think the first generation initiative will help by aid developing relationships with people within the university and I think this program is going to be vital in helping a lot of first-generation college students not only graduate but also obtain a job.

Don't give up even when you feel like it's hard. There's going to be times when you think you can't get through or you think that you won't be able to make it just because all the odds may feel like they're stacked against you but if you keep pushing and you keep working hard you will have a feeling of accomplishment.