In Experiences from First Generation College Graduates, 31 alumni who were the first in their family to obtain a college degree share their experiences in college. These stories illuminate how the struggles of first-generation students are primarily due to a combination of multiple social inequities that are ignored, reinforced, and perpetuated by exclusive college systems. These authors speak directly to current and future first generation students, offering tips and advice for success, along with powerful words of encouragement in their emotionally rich narratives. College faculty and staff are challenged to shift their perspectives from viewing these students from a deficit lens or attempting to make them more like continuing-generation students, to instead having deeply honest confrontations with the pedagogies and structures of college, which are frequently so ingrained that they are invisible, and that cater to continuing-generation students, who are often predominantly white, middle- and upper-class. Colleges can create a more equitable system in which universities are enriched by the wisdom, experiences, and talents of first-generation students while promoting a generative culture for all students.
Foreword by:
Yolanda Norman
Edited by:
Adam J. Rodríguez
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 256mm,
Width: 185mm,
Spine: 24mm
Weight: 862g
ISBN: 9781538162408
ISBN 10: 1538162407
Pages: 306
Publication Date: 27 February 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword (Yolanda Norman) Acknowledgments Introduction (Adam J. Rodríguez) Section I Introduction: Stories Featuring Academic Experiences (Adam J. Rodríguez) First Generation Students Defined College Culture Structure and Content of the Book Contributors Emergence of Themes Sections Critical Self-Reflection The Strengths of First-Generation Students Chapter 1 (Anthony Vargas, Student Affairs, Campus Living University at Buffalo) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 2: Mapping Out College to Career Goals in Real-Time (Jeremy Edwards, PhD, Lecturer for the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributions Toward College Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 3: Success is Not a Linear Path (Ivonne Martinez, Pursuing Master’s in Data Science) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 4 (Desireé Vega, PhD, Associate Professor, School Psychology) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 5 (Yvonne M. Luna, PhD, Associate Vice Provost and Professor of Sociology) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success: I Didn’t Do It Alone Role of Mi Familia Tips and Advice Chapter 6 (Maria Dykema Erb, MEd, Director of the Newbury Center, Boston University) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 7 (David Winston, MD, PhD, Forensic Pathologist) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 8 (Mike Santaniello, Professor of Sociology) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 9 (Lynn Pepin, BSE, Completing PhD in Computer Science) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 10: From North Philly to Faculty: Testimonio of a First-Generation Latinx College Student Surviving and Thriving at an Historically White University (Stephen Santa-Ramirez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Higher Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, University at Buffalo) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Critical Self-Reflection 1 (Adam J. Rodríguez) Two Primary Questions Further Discussion Questions Section II Introduction: Stories Featuring Social Experiences (Adam J. Rodríguez) Chapter 11: The Little Girl from Gay, Georgia (Patricia Harris, MA, Senior Director of Education, Operations and Initiatives, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College: I Love My SSU Contributors to My Success: Tell Them We Are Rising Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 12:In My Own Way (David Hernández, Associate Professor, Latina/o Studies, Faculty Director of Community Engagement, Mount Holyoke College) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 13 (Jenny Lieurance, First Generation Specialist) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 14 (Glynis Boyd Hughes, Grant Writer and Storyteller) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 15 (T. Mark Montoya, PhD, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 16 (Joyce Stewart, Senior Academic Lecturer, English Department) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College: The Enjoyable and Annoying Contributors to My Success: What Worked for Me Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 17 (Kevin L. Wright, EdD, Senior Equity Facilitator/Consultant at the Center for Equity & Inclusion) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College The Classroom Reslife Campus Involvement Contributions Toward College Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 18 (Sonja Ardoin, PhD, Associate Professor & Program Director, Student Affairs Administration) Applying to and Preparing for College: LSU was my Harvard Experiences in College: Finding My Tiger Stripes Contributors to My Serendipitous Success Role of Family: It’s Not My Degree, It’s Ours Tips and Advice: “My Two Cents” Offering Chapter 19 (Kamina P. Richardson, Assistant Program Director and Pre-Law Advisor for Legal Studies Program at Temple University’s Fox School of Business) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 20 (Emilee Claire Inez, Admissions Representative, University of Wyoming) Applying to and Preparing for College: Before the Bachelors Experiences in College: Growth in Undergrad Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Critical Self-Reflection 2 (Adam J. Rodríguez) Two Primary Questions Further Discussion Questions Section III Introduction: Stories Featuring Psychological Experiences (Adam J. Rodríguez) Chapter 21: To the Garden that Blossomed Seeds of Dreams (Ulises Morales, Executive Assistant) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 22 (Mayra González Menjívar, Communications Associate) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 23 (Kallie Clark, MSW, PhD, Educator and Researcher) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 24 (Dawna Jones, MEd, MSW, Director, Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture at Duke University) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 25: The Paths We Pave (Mytien Nguyen, MD-PhD Student) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 26 (Sean Richardson, Pursuing Master’s in Higher Education Administration) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 27: Navigating Uncharted Waters (Adj Marshall, Families Program & Policy Administrator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College: Assets and Drawbacks Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 28 (Clifton E. Shambry, Jr., Assistant Director of Life Design for Diversity and Inclusion) The Beginning: Why College Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of the Family Tips and Advice Chapter 29 (Raquel Gutierrez Cortez, MSCP, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, Associate Professional Clinical Counselor) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 30 (Karen Hill, BA, Completing Master of Science in Counseling) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Chapter 31 (Henry Rosas Ibarra, Political Consultant) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to My Success Role of Family Tips and Advice Critical Self-Reflection 3 (Adam J. Rodríguez) Two Primary Questions Further Discussion Questions Chapter 32: Discussion and Analysis (Adam J. Rodríguez) Applying to and Preparing for College Experiences in College Contributors to Success Role of Family The Costs of Upward Mobility Conclusion Chapter 33: Tips and Advice for First-Generation College Students and Their Families (Adam J. Rodríguez) Advice for Parents Conclusion Chapter 34: Creating Equity and Justice: Recommendations for Colleges, Faculty, and Staff (Adam J. Rodríguez) Laying the Groundwork Institutional Changes Early Intervention Admissions Process Financial Aid Assistance Tutoring Services Residence Halls Academic Advising Mentorship Programs Counseling/Mental Health Services Increased Representation Classroom Level Normalizing Adjustment Difficulties Conclusion Glossary of Select College Terms Appendix A: Resources References Index About the Contributors
Adam J. Rodríguez, PsyD, is a first-generation college graduate and psychoanalytic psychologist in private practice. His pursuit of a college degree took him 15 years, spanning 4 community colleges, including Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA; 2 four-year universities, including San Francisco State University where he completed his bachelors at the age of 32; and four years of graduate school at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. In his practice and scholarly work, Dr. Rodríguez is interested in the study of first-generation college students, multiracial identities, the intersection of race/ethnicity and class, and the connections between music and clinical work. He is a board member of Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), an organization which advocates for therapies of depth, insight, and relationship. Yolanda Norman, EdD, currently serves as Associate Vice President of Student Development at Concordia University Texas and CEO of FirstGenCollege Consulting. As a low-income first-generation college student-athlete when she entered college, Dr. Norman often questioned her own journey for a college education and daily fought the negative thoughts telling her she did not belong. Today she spends her time on campus and within the community championing strategies focused on successful student development, working nationally with organizations to help students aspire to and persist towards college graduation, and engaging with first-generation college graduate professionals helping to build strong leadership. Learn more about her work at MyFirstgenCollege.com and stay engaged with her online at @FirstGenCollege. Contributors include: Sonja Ardoin, Glynis Boyd Hughes, Kallie Clark, Maria Dykema Erb, Jeremy Edwards, Mayra González Menjívar, Racquez Gutierrez Cortez, Patricia Harris, David Hernández, Karen Hill, Emilee Claire Inez, Dawna Jones, Jennifer Lieurance, Yvonne M. Luna, Adj Marshall, Ivonne Martínez, T. Mark Montoya, Ulises Morales, Mytien Nguyen, Lynn Pepin, Henry Rosas Ibarra, Kamina P. Richardson, Sean Richardson, Mike Santaniello, Stephen Santa-Ramirez, Clifton E. Shambry, Jr., Joyce Stewart, Anthony Vargas, Desireé Vega, David Winston, and Kevin L. Wright
Reviews for Know That You Are Worthy: Experiences from First-Generation College Graduates
As access to higher education has increased, first-generation students have become a growing and distinctive population at U.S. colleges and universities. Ensuring student success for first-gens requires that college and university leaders, faculty, and staff understand the unique challenges of this student population, in order to best design programs and curriculum that meet their needs. Know That You Are Worthy: Experiences from First-Generation College Graduates offers important insights into the experiences of first-generation college graduates, helping to humanize first-gen students' experiences and providing recommendations for colleges that aim to improve first-generation student success.--Teniell L. Trolian, University at Albany, State University of New York Know That You Are Worthy will be a gift to the field ranging from high school and college access programs to colleges/universities and beyond. It is often difficult to balance multiple audiences--in this case, current students, as well as instructors and administrators--but Rodríguez does this quite well. This text is practical but also research-driven. I would strongly encourage that programs like AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) and TRIO (programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act), as well as the many first-generation-only seminars across institutions incorporate this book into their curriculum. Many first-generation students will see themselves in these narratives and will feel empowered. Come for the stories but stay for the recommendations!--La'Tonya Rease Miles Many students, especially those who are the first in their family to attend college, feel alone. This saps them of their power, undermines their potential, and often impedes their progress. This book offers a welcome antidote: personal stories from diverse yet uniformly compassionate narrators. It will be a valuable teaching tool for educating students, but also faculty, staff, and administrators.--Sara Goldrick-Rab, founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice and author of Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream The stories from Know That You Are Worthy: Experiences from First Generation College Graduates speak from the heart and contain critical insights and guidance. A must-read for students so that they know they are not alone in their own pursuit of success.--Valerie De Cruz, drector, Greenfield Intercultural Center, University of Pennsylvania This book is an inspiration for first-generation students who are currently on their college journeys and who need to hear that they too can succeed. You are not alone in your experiences! Thank you to the author and contributors of this book for sharing their successes, failures, and tenacity with us!--Charmaine E. Troy, PhD, associated director of First-Generation Student Initiatives, Georgia Institute of Technology and author of Developing and Implementing Promising Practices and Programs for First-Generation College Students This book is quite impressive; it is organized around themes that have been central to the discussion of first-generation students.--Amy Baldwin, EdD, senior lecturer of writing, literacy, and academic success, Department of Student Transitions, University of Central Arkansas This book unpacks the diverse and multifaceted experiences of 'being a first-generation student.' It is inspiring for both students and practitioners to normalize being first-generation and better support first-generation students in college.--Xiaodan Hu, Department of Counseling and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University Using the voices of first-generation graduates to illustrate the academic, social, cultural, and psychological challenges faced by these students, Know That You Are Worthy provides shared common experiences and advice for incoming first-generation students, as well as recommendations for colleges, faculty, and staff for ways to work towards equity in education opportunities. Readers and those working with first-generation students will be able to more fully understand the unique joys and obstacles experienced by this varied group of learners.--Mo Cuevas, PhD, LCSW, professor, Worden School of Social Service, Our Lady of the Lake University
