The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: First-Generation Students

  • I’m proud to be a first-generation graduate

    by Monica Robinson

    Reflecting on the journey to reach this point in my life is mind-boggling. This journey started when my mother was five years old. My grandmother fearlessly guided her and her six older brothers to the basement while bombs dropped a few blocks away post-World War II in England. Shortly after, they embarked on a transatlantic voyage to Canada and settled in New Hampshire. I chose to find higher learning by moving away from the bustling East Coast to lay roots in the West. 

    As I approach graduation next month, I will be the first generation in my family to graduate from college. This idea never crossed my mind until I attended last week’s week-long event celebrating first-generation students hosted by the TRiO Upward Bound and Educational Opportunity Program(EOP).    

    Students and teachers shared various experiences and stories about what shaped their journeys through higher education, including the unique hurdles of navigating the educational system with determination and resilience. From family support to overcoming language barriers, the stories spoke of triumphs, setbacks and, ultimately, the pursuit of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.

    Unraveling the influences

    Growing up in poverty alongside my father and older brother, our family faced numerous challenges. However, my mother was determined to instill in us the value of education. Despite working long hours, our parents ensured that my brother and I had access to opportunities. In pursuit of his dream to become a doctor, my brother went to a prep school, which came with a considerable financial burden for my mother.

    However, my brother veered off course after high school. Instead, he traveled the country on the quest for a different type of education. While his enticing lifestyle was tempting, I couldn’t let my mother down the same way.

    Charlie Perez, an engineering major, talked about his self-discovery and resilience between frequent moving and language barriers within his family. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking household while attending English-speaking schools presented unique challenges for Charlie. The resulting sense of isolation and disconnection affected his academic performance and harbored a dislike for English literature.

    Assistant Professor and Public Relations professor Jessie Cretser-Hartenstein’s father played a pivotal role by instilling two fundamental values: honesty and higher education. 

    Her brothers also served as inspirations, each following their unique paths towards college, creating an environment where educational aspirations thrived. With her family’s support, Hartenstein met a mentor who offered invaluable guidance, contributing to her academic success and personal growth. 

    Pressure to Succeed

    Spanning the past 19 years, I have navigated higher education, transferring from College of the Redwoods and eventually to Cal Poly Humboldt. 

    However, it is notable that I only recently took the step to register with the student disability center a year ago. Driven by a determination to reach the academic finish line alone, I hindered my completion. 

    I could have also capitalized on the resources offered to seek out grants and lightened my debt if I had been more proactive in seizing those chances. With these realizations, I see how important seeking assistance and support is.

    During an art workshop, students sketched their educational journey. To illustrate this, the Administrative Support Assistant of the EOP, Xelha Puc, incorporated wind next to a tree to symbolize burnout, imposter syndrome (fake it till you make it) and isolation. 

    “I feel like for me being first gen, you feel a lot of pressure, being the like first, and sometimes you don’t know how to navigate certain things within the education system,” Puc said. 

    Hartenstein reflected on her challenges during her educational pursuits, including imposter syndrome and the lack of guidance. Although these obstacles threatened to derail her college journey, she prevailed.

    Keys to Success

    On the road toward my personal and academic goals, I am fortunate to have an exceptional community that consistently shows me persistent love and support. Their presence in my life has been essential and the driving force behind my achievements. Reaching the finish line has only been possible with their encouragement. 

    “So, the first thing I learned was [to surround] myself around people who actually care about me, and how to identify people who are temporary and just want to take from you,” Perez said. “This helps me out with determining my learning group.”

    Additionally, Perez highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of self-reliance and individual strength. He realized that having a clear sense of purpose, or a compelling “why?” helped him overcome challenges and pursue his passions.

    Perez noted taking fun courses and engaging in community-building activities builds a sense of companionship, and students can connect with their peers and discover shared interests.

    Hartenstein highlighted the importance of mentors, including professors, advisors, and professionals in the industry who provide crucial guidance and support. 

    “… if you don’t have self-confidence, and you have impostor syndrome, just work on building confidence,” Hartenstein said. “I started this sort of game with myself many years ago, where I have to have three things on my gratitude list every day, at least once a day. And those three things are one thing about myself, one thing about the world outside of me, and nowadays, it’s one thing about my partner or my family, or whoever I’m with.”

    Untapped Potential

    The experiences of first-generation college students are a testament to determination, resilience and perseverance in pursuing a brighter future. 

    “My family went through all of this, to transfer from Mexico to California, for me just to stop here?” Perez said. ‘No – the story continues.” 

    Each story draws inspiration, encouraging others to embrace their identities, seek support and conquer the barriers in their way. They embody the untapped potential for growth and success in every individual. 

    “Most of us have impostor syndrome, and we’re just faking it,” Hartenstein said. “Don’t tell anyone, but it’s true.”

    Their stories are a powerful reminder of the transformative power of educational aspirations, shaping a better tomorrow for themselves and others.

    “Address your deep wounds. They’re the cause of a lot of suffering that may keep on relapsing in your life, but they also are the things that hold the biggest treasure,” Perez said.

  • I’m a first generation college student

    I’m a first generation college student

    By Mekiah Glynn

    My mother dropped out of college after one semester and my oldest sister dropped out of two different colleges within the span of two years. I am the definition of a first-generation college student. A third of undergraduates are first-generation, yet we hear very little about the perspectives of these college students.

    Luckily for the third of us here at Cal Poly Humboldt, there are a lot of resources for students who don’t have parents that know how to walk us through each step of college life. With mentors and workshops, Humboldt has helped me with the transition into college.

    Moving eight hours away from my hometown to Humboldt was already a big transition for me, but it was significantly more difficult as a first-generation college student who didn’t have a lot of people to talk to about college. My mother has supported me throughout all of this as best she can. Still, no one prepared me for the mundane things you have to go through in college that most students just know about, such as which meal plan to pick, what you really need for classes, and how to manage your time.

    Those questions were answered by my RAMP mentor for the most part, which was really helpful during the year, but less so before the year started, when I was signing up for classes, housing, and meal plans. During the summer before I started, the only resource available was my sister who is a communications major at UC Davis. She didn’t have much knowledge about a smaller college or classes for an environmental studies major. Because of this, my first semester was really rocky. I failed a class, edited my meal plan, and struggled with online college classes.

    The workshops about organization, mental health, and finding a job were really helpful mid-way through my first semester. The school’s resources weren’t directed at first-generation college students, but they were still helpful.

    Going into my second semester of college was a bit easier. I was more used to the day by day and was more aware of the resources that were available. It was still a struggle. I couldn’t ask my mom about things that I’m sure most of you could ask your parents without even thinking about it, such as questions about how to contact my professors or how to deal with a roommate.

    Being a first-generation college student is hard. The pressure of wanting to succeed where your parents couldn’t and the need to figure out a lot of it completely by yourself will never be easy. There can always be more resources put into place that could help out the third of us that are here alone, but I do believe that Cal Poly Humboldt does a great job trying to help.

    Make sure to check out the basic needs section on Cal Poly Humboldt’s official website if you need any help with mental health, housing, food, etc.

  • Navigating the Pressures of the First-Generation Student Experience

    Navigating the Pressures of the First-Generation Student Experience

    First-generation students must look outside family for support

    Usually, students talk with parents, siblings or friends who have attended college in the past to gather information and paint a picture about college classes, professors and the overall college experience. For first-generation students like myself, that’s not an option.

    Being a first-generation student means you are the first person in your family to go to college. Your family members have no prior knowledge about college, the application and selection process, or what’s going to happen in the months prior to attending.

    First-generation students feel the pressure of learning to balance living on your own, being successful in college and working a job all at the same time. For Destiny Aguilera, a second-year theatre major, the help they needed was provided by a high school instructor.

    College is a time of self discovery.

    “My greatest struggle has definitely been finding myself,” Aguilera said. “College is a time for learning, experimenting and growing as a person. As a first-generation student, it is also a time to work multiple jobs and try to support oneself as best as possible, with as little help from family as they can provide.”

    The pressure to be successful and independent to avoid burdening parents financially heightens the expectations of the college experience.

    “Having that pressure of taking care of oneself added to the mix makes it difficult to take time to breathe and learn more about who I am and who I want to be,” Aguilera said. “That being said, it’s not impossible. Just within recent months I’ve been able to discover that I identify as nonbinary and use they/them pronouns. I have college and allies to thank for that.”

    College is a time of self discovery.

    Natyvidad Landeros, a third-year biology major, got help with applying to colleges through a high school class created to help students prepare for college.

    “I took it junior and senior year,” Landeros said. “They helped me with the process of applying. If it wasn’t for them I don’t know if I would have got into college.”

    Javier Hernandez, a political science major at HSU, also prioritized resources outside his family to pick the school that fit his needs.

    “I joined these college programs which helped other first-generation students like me to guide me through the process,” Hernandez said. “To take me to other college campuses and learn about the recruitment process and all the details that I needed to know applying to colleges.”

    College is a time of change and immense amount of pressure. This pre-college experience is only heightened for first-generation students who have to navigate blindly and on their own. High school classes or staff, friends and independent interests can be helpful guides.