First-Generation Students Overcome Obstacles to Succeed

An individual with a bachelor’s degree is expected to earn nearly one million dollars in additional income over a lifetime compared to an individual with a high school diploma.

Steven Bearden didn’t know these numbers when he applied to Eastern Connecticut State University. He only knew that he wanted an easier financial future than he had growing up in a home where no one had attended college.

Bearden is the first in his family to attend college. Throughout the Connecticut State University System, there are many students just like him. In fact, nearly 50 percent of CSU System students are the first in their family to pursue higher education.

“My best friend’s parents both went to college, and it was very evident that they didn’t live paycheck-to-paycheck,” explains Bearden, an accounting major who expects to graduate in the spring of 2008. “They went on vacations and had more ‘wiggle room’ to compensate for emergencies or unforeseen expenses. It just seemed like there was less stress put on the family due to bills or normal expenses.”

Education is Money in the Bank

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a high school graduate (or someone with a GED) earned an average of $32,069 in 2005. An individual with a bachelor’s degree, by comparison, had an average salary of $57,017. Even for the person who attends some college, but doesn’t graduate, average income increased $5,500 over the high school graduate. In addition to a greater personal income, this increase in wages translates directly into an increased ability to contribute to society as a tax-paying citizen.

While he recognized that attending college would help secure a better financial future for himself and his family, Bearden probably didn’t realize the benefits his decision would have on his community. According to the Institute for Higher Education Policy, 77 percent of people with bachelor’s degrees perform volunteer work, compared to 45 percent of high school graduates. College graduates also have better health, increased life expectancy, more diverse leisure activities, improved quality of life for their children and better consumer decision-making.

Steven Ortiz, a first-generation graduate of Western Connecticut State University, is an excellent example of how taking that significant step to become the first in a family to attend and graduate from college impacts so much more than just the student’s future.

Ortiz graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. Today, he is the first band director at Immaculate High School in Danbury, where he teaches drama, music history and music theory; he also is assistant band director at his alma mater, Danbury High School. Ortiz is the first, and youngest, alumnus to conduct two musical productions at WCSU. And in an effort to make a difference in his community, Ortiz has collaborated with the Danbury Portuguese Cultural Center to form a band for area youth.

Making the decision to enter college was only the first step in a series of uphill battles facing students like Bearden, Ortiz and other first-generation students. According to a National Center for Education Statistics report, high school students whose parents never enrolled in college are less likely to be academically prepared for college. Even those who are prepared are less likely to enroll in postsecondary education. From choosing the right high school classes to filling out college applications and financial aid forms, students most likely are traversing unknown waters alone.

“If my parents were college graduates, I am sure my whole college experience would have been different,” explains Michelle Bearden, younger sister of Steven. Michelle is a sophomore psychology major at Eastern. “My parents couldn’t help with any college applications. And they give me their tax information so I can fill out all the financial aid forms; they figure I will do it myself if I really want to go. They really have no idea what is involved in getting into and succeeding in college.”

Since many first-generation students come from families that may have limited knowledge regarding the importance of college, many of these students must financially support their college dream. Others fully grasp the importance, but lack the financial means. The Beardens and Ortiz are among the 61 percent of CSUS undergraduate students who have some unmet financial needs, and all three are financing their own educations. In fact, 65 percent of CSUS students work 10 or more hours per week, which makes it more difficult to be involved and engaged in academic work and campus life. Through loans, scholarships, financial aid and multiple jobs and work study opportunities, the cost of college weighs heavily on these young adults.

The lack of support often extends beyond financial factors. Family and friends who never have been to college often don’t fully understand what first-generation students are experiencing or the challenges they face.

“Even though I explain the importance of my time here [at Eastern], my mom really doesn’t understand,” explains Michelle. “She doesn’t realize how much work college involves.”

The lack of financial or emotional support, or both, often takes a toll on the students’ dreams of a college degree. According to an Institute for Higher Education Policy report, 56 percent of students whose parents have a bachelor’s degree attain a degree within five years of enrolling, while only 44 percent of first-generation college students go on to earn a degree.

To compensate, students may seek guidance from individuals outside their family, who often become role models. For Ortiz, this support was found in WCSU music professor Fernando Jimenez, who, ironically, came from the same Costa Rican town where Ortiz’s father grew up. “Not only did we have Costa Rica and the trombone in common, but Professor Jimenez overcame a lot of obstacles, and I am trying to do the same,” recalls Ortiz, who is pursuing a Master of Music Education in Instrumental Conducting at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford.

But Margaret Toston, vice president of student affairs at Central Connecticut State University, points out that universities “need to look at what we can do to educate and work with the entire family about the process of preparing to go to college, and help educate them about what it takes to be successful in college. We need to make it a family affair so that everyone knows how to support the student. And we have a tremendous opportunity to get family members involved in becoming students themselves!”

Toston also noted that it is important to get students connected to the university early on, to create a support system on campus for them. “We need to get the students involved — not just have them go to class and then return home or to work. That often means helping them get jobs on campus so they don’t need to take on additional expenses such as a car. We also need to help them understand they will need help, that it is okay for them to ask for help and then provide some structure for them to get that help.”

While many first-generation students come to the universities straight from high school, many nontraditional students also are the first in their families to enter college. Included in this category are older students ranging in age from 22 to 60, those returning to college after raising a family and those looking to change their careers. At Southern, these students find support through the Office for Nontraditional Students, which offers personal and career counseling, academic advisement and a peer support program for students on campus.

“We also offer a transfer orientation program,” explains Ronald Herron, vice president for student and university affairs at Southern. “For next year, we have developed two publications — Next Steps for First Year Students and Next Steps for Transfer Students—which provide eight pages of information on everything from financing college to becoming involved within the Southern community.”

However, there is always work to be done to improve access and success. Toston explains that Central’s Educational Opportunities Program is being reviewed and revised so that CCSU can address more directly the need to retain and graduate at-risk students.

“I am excited that we will have a strong student retention component,” Toston explains. “We are going to shift the program from an intensive five-week summer program to an intensive retention and persistence program, where students come back semester after semester until they graduate. We are creating structured learning support groups, hiring graduate interns to work with students on supplemental instruction, developing an ongoing series of interactive sessions for students to get academic help and looking at adding a structured leadership development program. And we are incorporating programs to get the parents more involved and help them learn to be more involved."

“Research tells us that students who are involved and engaged are more likely to persist in getting their degrees,” Toston explains. “We not only want to help students understand the importance of getting involved, but also to go on to become leaders in college and beyond.”

Reprinted from CSUS Universe. Contact Terri Raimondi at raimondit@ct.edu if you would like to be added to the Universe mailing list.