What is your hometown? Baldwin Park, CA
What colleges did you attend? Degrees earned? Mt. San Antonio College, 1999
UC Santa Barbara, 2005
CSU Long Beach, 2011
What motivated you to go to college? My parents instilled the importance of attaining a higher education while I was in high school. They both immigrated from Mexico and did not have an opportunity to attend college, so they emphasized the importance of us taking advantage of the opportunity to attend college.
Describe your college experience as first-generation. I understood the importance of attending higher education, I just had no idea how and when to begin the process. I am the oldest of five siblings and the oldest of my cousins, so no one in my family had attended college so it was stressful trying to navigate the system of higher education. I enrolled at Mt. SAC and joined the Bridge Program in 1999 and they were the foundation that provided me with the skills, support and validation I needed to continue my education. Everything that Mt. SAC taught me, I took with me to my other colleges when I transferred and was able to successfully navigate those institutions of higher education.
What unique challenges did you face? The most difficult thing for me was I did not know what questions to ask since I was not familiar with the system of higher education, no one in my entire family had ever attended college, so I was in uncharted territory and feeling like an impostor-like I did not belong. After I transferred, I had to rebuild my support network at UCSB and at CSULB. Every step of my education, I've had to learn it and tell myself that I did belong, seeking validation and support from my mentors along the way. I recall me getting accepted to four UC's and my parents wanting me to choose the closest one so I can continue living at home. However, I wanted to attend UC Santa Barbara, I had to bring my parents into my Mt. SAC counseling session so my counselor could explain to them the importance of me moving away from home for my studies. My parents were not thrilled that I wanted to leave, and although I felt a sense of guilt, I left and told myself this is what is best for me.
How did you overcome those challenges? I joined programs that supported first-generation college students, like EOPS and Bridge Programs at Mt. SAC. Bridge Program taught me the importance of mentorship and so I identified mentors and sought their advice and validation through my education. I still recall my Mt. SAC counselors that attended my UCSB graduation party and I truly felt supported and that they had become part of my familia.
What did you advise other first-generation students? Join programs that work with first generation college students and identify mentors that will support and validate your educational journey. When you are a first generation college student-you will continue to face the same challenges at every step of your educational endeavors, so it is important that you build your support network that you can turn to at every chapter of your education- Associates, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate levels.
