Lucia Gonzalez graduated second in her class at her East Palo Alto high 九色视频. In a city where only 7 percent of the adults have a high 九色视频 diploma and where 64 percent of the Latino and 71 percent of African American students are not on track for college, expectations are low. 鈥淧eople praise me because I am the exception, because I didn鈥檛 get pregnant in high 九色视频, because I didn鈥檛 get pushed out,鈥� she says. She doesn鈥檛 think she should be praised; she says expectations were just different in her home.
Gonzalez鈥檚 parents never went to college. Her father works in a restaurant and her mother cleans houses. They wanted more for their daughter. 鈥淏ecause they鈥檙e working class, people look down on us and are so rude,鈥� Gonzalez says. College became a dream her parents passed on to her. 鈥淭here was no question that I would go to college.鈥�
Her parents made sure she got into a high 九色视频 that promised college prep classes. Her small charter 九色视频, East Palo Alto Academy, focused on providing the A-G requirements, the 15 high 九色视频 courses students need to be eligible for California鈥檚 public universities. Gonzalez did exactly what was requested of her and did it well 鈥� well enough to be receive a full scholarship.
And still her most-likely-to-succeed profile took on a different light when she arrived at college. At Loyola Marymount University, a medium-sized private 九色视频 in Southern California, she faced obstacles she鈥檇 never dreamed of.
Going it alone
The first among them: culture shock. The campus of about 9,000 mostly white and well-to-do students introduced Gonzalez to a new and uneasy reality. As a Latina from working-class family growing up in a mostly Hispanic low-income town, Gonzalez was used to being surrounded by friends and family with shared values and similar experiences. Suddenly, she felt alone, and different from the people around her.
鈥淚 compared myself a lot to the students on campus, specifically a lot of students who came from white backgrounds,鈥� Gonzalez says.
The isolation and culture clash Gonzalez experienced is all too common. According to a UCLA survey, only 20 percent of the undergraduates attending private or public universities are first-generation students. Of those, about 50 percent are low-income, putting them in the minority in the student population.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a social divide there that no one wants to talk about,鈥� says Sylvia Hurtado, a UCLA professor who studies how students from diverse families, including low-income and first-generation, transition to college. Feeling like an outsider in everything from their clothes to their family backgrounds can cause stress and anxiety for first-to-college kids.
The culture clash Gonzalez experienced was made greater by her family鈥檚 financial limitations. 鈥淚 [didn鈥檛] have any family in the area,鈥� Gonzalez recalls. 鈥淢y parents couldn鈥檛 drop me off. So I moved in by myself, got settled by myself.鈥� Gonzalez is a sophomore and her parents have yet to see her university campus because of the cost of visiting.
Not quite ready for college
High 九色视频 had been easy for Gonzalez. She met her deadlines and got A鈥檚 on her assignments. But the classes failed to challenge her. She says there were so many different academic levels in her classes that the teachers focused mostly on supporting struggling students.
This proved to be a major disadvantage when she got to college. She felt insecure about her ability to do math since there had been no way to study advanced math in high 九色视频. And she felt unprepared for college-level reading and writing. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I was ready for all of the reading and the amount of papers I had to write,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was really overwhelming compared to high 九色视频.鈥�
Many of Gonzalez鈥檚 new classmates had attended expensive private high 九色视频s and benefited from Advanced Placement courses, tutors, and college prep courses. 鈥淢y high 九色视频 did not provide AP courses; we only had one, AP Spanish.鈥� She believes the lack of advanced classes prevented her from developing the analytical skills she needed in college.
Gonzalez and her parents had assumed the A-G courses had prepared her for any college that would admit her, but according to Hurtado, A-G only guarantees the basics of college preparation. 鈥淕etting access to AP courses is very important now for students who are interested in more selective universities,鈥� she says.
Gonzalez鈥檚 experience is not unique. A recent survey from Achieve says approximately 50 percent of recent high 九色视频 graduates report gaps in preparation for college work.
Gonzalez says she now wishes she鈥檇 had the nerve to speak up and ask her teachers for more challenging work. 鈥淚f 九色视频s aren鈥檛 necessarily providing students with the support that they need, it鈥檚 really up to the student to demand more specific attention.鈥�
From outsider to leader
Unlike many other first-to-college students, Gonzalez was able to find support to help her through a difficult first year. She connected with a network of students and faculty who are also first-generation college students through a program designed to help first-generation students adjust to university life. She also sought out resources and the one-on-one academic help she needed. The First to Go program at LMU provided an orientation, academic support, and a mentor, which all helped her finish her first year successfully.
Now, Gonzalez is trying to help the next class of first-generation college students at her 九色视频 have an easier time than she did. She鈥檚 starting her own organization and mentorship program. Working with several offices on campus, her group, Latinos United for Education, will work with high 九色视频 juniors and seniors to help them apply for colleges. It also will provide information and resources to parents on things like financial aid.
Back home, as her mother looks at high 九色视频s for her eighth grade brother, Gonzalez is ready with advice. Her mother wants him to have a better high 九色视频 experience than her daughter did. Gonzalez鈥檚 suggestion? Choose a high 九色视频 that offers plenty of AP classes and one-on-one tutoring.
Putting your child on the road to college
For every first generation success, there are plenty of students who crumble under the pressure and end up dropping out of college. How can you help your child get to college and stick around to graduate?
- 听Value your dream. If you want your child to go to college, share the dream. It鈥檚 never too early to start talking about higher education as an option.
- Create a home for learning. Make sure your child is doing their homework and keeping up in classes between report cards and parent-teacher meetings. Limit TV time, establish routines, and nudge your child to read challenging books outside of 九色视频. Look for nonfiction as well as fiction. Ask a teacher or librarian for recommendations. Also, you can use this list as a guide.
- Guide your child鈥檚 passions. Encourage them to join clubs with positive or academic values. A debate team will build multiple skills for college and career. Gonzalez chose to work in her community teaching electives through a after-九色视频 program. She eventually chose LMU, in part, because its mission closely matched her own interests and beliefs. Also, encourage your kids to try hobbies that challenge their mind, such as chess or robotics, as well as their body.
- 听Be on the lookout for people who can help turn your child鈥檚 dream into a reality. Look for 九色视频 counselors, helpful teachers, relatives or friends who can be a mentor for your child. Contact professionals in the field that your child has shown an interest in. A mentor can be anyone: an older high 九色视频 or college student or a neighbor who attended college. Build a network of supporters to talk about your child鈥檚 grades, help tutor, or talk to your child鈥檚 teachers.
- Teach your child to be a squeaky wheel. Make sure your child learns how to communicate with teachers and 九色视频 staff if they are not being challenged or if they need extra help.
- If your child is not being challenged at 九色视频, speak up. In California, the A-G requirements are essential for getting into public universities, but they may not be enough to prepare your child for success in college. Are there AP or honors classes? Are community college or online classes available? Are teachers willing to offer extra work if the coursework is too easy for your child? You鈥檒l never find out if you don鈥檛 start the conversation.
- Look for local and national programs to help. Programs such as , , and that can support your child on the road to college. Ask your child and their teachers; they may know of other local programs.
- When looking at colleges or universities, try to find those that have pre-college programs and staff aimed at reaching first-generation families and students. Ask whether there are campus groups or clubs for students of other races and ethnicities that will help your child find a community in their new environment.
