What is your hometown? Dinuba, CA

What colleges did you attend? Degrees earned? Santa Clara University, B.S. in Liberal Studies
University of Southern California, M.Ed. in Educational Counseling

What motivated you to go to college? My family; specifically, the trailblazing women who went and graduated from college before me (my aunts, sisters, cousins).

Describe your college experience as first-generation. As a first-generation and low-income college student at a mostly white college, I felt some shame and discomfort being in classes with students who seemed much more confident and prepared than me. But thankfully, I wasn't alone. I joined LEAD, a program for first-generation college students, which helped me learn about all the resources available to me and made me feel like I belonged. With help from this program, I got to do internships, study abroad, and earn scholarships. I didn't think these enriching experiences were for me, but my first-gen community believed in me and taught me to believe in myself.

What unique challenges did you face? Many of the challenges I faced were about navigating college and the expectations for college students. I felt like I didn't belong in certain spaces. When I was struggling academically, I avoided professors and anyone who could help. I also struggled with paying for rent and food, which meant having to work more to support myself.

How did you overcome those challenges? It took a lot of strength for me to do things like visit professors in office hours or even ask questions in class, but what helped was having caring, supportive friends who would encourage me. When I was feeling unmotivated, I would turn to them and slowly, I'd start to see my own potential again.

What did you advise other first-generation students? Find your community. Find your people. There will be days when their beliefs and high hopes in you are what'll get you through. But eventually, you have to believe in yourself, too. Remember that you belong just as much as anyone else.