What is your hometown? Guam (U.S. Territory/Marianas Islands)
What colleges did you attend? Degrees earned? Mt. SAC- AA Liberal Arts
Cal Poly Pomona- BS Urban and Regional Planning
CSU Long Beach- MS Counseling, Student Development in Higher Education (SDHE)
CSU Fullerton- Ed.D., Educational Leadership/Community College Leadership
What motivated you to go to college? Childhood friends who attended Mt. SAC came home one summer and suggested the idea to me. Their parents encouraged mine to consider it. After two months of thinking about it, I took the huge leap of faith to travel over 10,000 miles to start at Mt. SAC with a lot of unknowns and uncertainties, but simply the hope for better opportunities to for me and my parents.
Describe your college experience as first-generation. There were many moments along different points of the path where I questioned if I was college material or if it was possible for me to stay on the path. I was fortunate to enter Student Affairs work first as a student employee, which gave me access to staff who made me feel like I belong, who acted as a surrogate family for me since I was so far away from home. Those collective and daily experiences of encouragement kept me going even when I doubted myself. I knew my parents couldn't tell me much about college, but they valued education and always, in their own way, gave me permission to be courageous, to ask questions, and to try my best. I followed my mom's wisdom of remembering that "birds of the same feather flock together", by which she meant surround yourself with good people, like-minded people, and those who only wanted what would be in your best interest, and those who would teach you to lean into your confidence, to challenge your capabilities, and to guide you toward something greater.
What unique challenges did you face? College affordability and understanding how college works were the two overarching challenges. Additionally, coming from out of state, I had no inkling of what the significance of the different higher education systems were in California, nor did I fully understand all the various ways to fund a college education beyond FAFSA and working.
How did you overcome those challenges? For all but one semester of my college journey, I worked 20 hours a week on campus throughout Mt. SAC and my undergrad at CPP. By the time I reached grad school I was already a full-time employee. For some of my experience, I was able to use federal, state and local aid, tuition reimbursement, stipends, and other grants. The benefit of first working as a student employee was gaining access to staff who were consistently willing to help me navigate my choices-to help me make informed choices about courses, major, university transfer. I had to develop the internal confidence to act on those choices without asking others to make a decision for me. I had to become self-directed, filter and consider others' opinions (especially those I trusted) as I ultimately chose that path and opportunities that were presented to me along the way.
What did you advise other first-generation students? 1. Acknowledge yourself that you ARE HERE and YOU BELONG.
2. Make smart decisions by first becoming well informed and ask trusted others to help you process options.
3. Get out of your comfort zone by participating in different campus opportunities. Doing so can help you connect with others and will support your personal growth and maturity, as well as build confidence. Be intentional about the kinds of courses, activities, and programs you participate in to maximize your student development.
