By Heidi Brett, communications and Lux Darkbloom, librarian, J. Willard Marriott Library

Mechanical engineering major Jesse Leyva really isn’t any different from the average engineering student; he’s hard-working, good at math and gets excited about designing systems that will ultimately make our lives better. But there is one thing that differentiates Jesse from other college students; he is the first in his family to pursue a four-year degree. As a first-gen student, Jesse and his peers comprise 25 percent of the U’s student body. 

When Jesse is asked to explain what initially motivated him to pursue higher ed, he explains that his parents always told him he needed to go to college because “it is the only way you’re able to push yourself and your people forward.”

It wasn’t until Jesse met with his best friend’s sister who was attending college that the lightbulb came on. “And we set up for a little coffee shop meeting type of thing, just for her to break down what are scholarships, what should I look for in college, stuff like that. And that’s all it took – just to sit down with someone who looks like me, who’s experienced the same things as me, and tell me how much school has changed their lives. Because of that day, I’ve fallen in love with school … the whole purpose behind it. I believe in education. I believe in the power of education, ever since that day.”

Jesse’s story, and the stories of 29 other first-gen students, are now available through the First-Gen Voices, a digital publication launched by Lux Darkbloom, librarian at the Marriott Library and liaison to the First-generation Scholars.

In addition to the student interviews, Lux has included a section on frameworks and educational resources. This describes why First-Gen Voices is asset-based vs. deficit-based, and how the interviews promote epistemic justice. To help educators integrate the oral histories into their teaching, Lux has included a discussion guide with reflective questions for students and for faculty.

A Note from the First-Gen Scholars Librarian, Lux Darkbloom

I’ve been fortunate to serve as the librarian for First-Gen Scholars for over a decade now, and in that time, I have learned so much about the myriad identities and experiences that create our unique first-generation community here at the U. I’ve found that, so often in academia, we (as faculty and administrators) tend to talk about our students in terms of data points, like enrollment numbers, GPA and graduation rates, but we don’t just talk to them–or, more importantly, listen to them.

We don’t give students the opportunity to tell us their stories, what motivated them to pursue higher education, their dreams for the future, or about the ways that they learn. As educators, we are too accustomed to deferring to the continuing-generation narrative as the “standard story.” One of the reasons I decided to create this project was to give a platform to our first-gen students to tell the stories they want to tell and to give critical feedback about what it’s like to be a student here.

I’m a big believer in epistemic justice, meaning that we are the authorities of our own lives. We all have lived experiences that shape our understanding of the world, ourselves and each other. And everyone is entitled to equitable access to knowledge as both a creator and consumer of information. First-gen students deserve their rightful place in the institutional record as creators of knowledge and for their stories to be treated with due respect.

It is so important that we are intentional about how we bridge the gap between institutional data and our students’ lived realities. This project is just one way that we can begin to do that work. There are so many rich, valuable stories in this collection, and one of the most exciting parts of First-Gen Voices is that both current and prospective first-gen students might see themselves reflected in these stories and recognize that they can do it, too.

Connect with First-Gen Voices project HERE.