Being a first-generation, low-income college student can be both daunting and empowering. It is easy to feel alone in a whole new world in which you know nothing. This world was built for you to challenge every possibility thrown your way, and that is exactly what I did.
I grew up with one parent and four sisters in a one-bedroom apartment. No one in my family has gone to college. I faced stereotypes that told me I had a slim chance of going to college, and yet here I am, a student at Emory University. I hate admitting that, as a low-income student, I grew up challenged by society. As a kid, I wasn’t conscious of the worn-down apartment I lived in or the times we hardly ate. This was my normal, as it is for many low-income families. Through all of this tragedy, my family supported me unconditionally, and I owe them everything for it.
My family is one of millions that came to the U.S. for a better life, including better paying jobs, health care and education. Even though today my family is still low income, we are alive and work with what we have to be happy. Being first generation isn’t tantamount to being low income, but my family, like many others, never left the lower class.
First-generation students already face the barrier of applying to college without familial guidance — it’s the determination held by our stubborn community that pushes us beyond these barriers. My future is not painted in money or in luxurious houses, but instead in my ability to sustain family members so they don’t have to work as hard anymore. This outlook is engraved in most first-generation students’ minds, and it can often have a detrimental impact on mental health. In high school, I never allowed myself to feel fulfilled with my achievements. I hated taking a pause and appreciating myself for earning a perfect grade because I was worrying about the next thing I had to achieve. I knew I could do more, and I never stopped to look back at what I had done. Now, I can look back and say that I held a part-time job, performed in a musical and volunteered to clean up my town, all while being a full-time student in both high school and college. I can say that I did everything that I wanted to do because I made it possible. The reason I made this all possible was because I was eager to learn.
It is an unsettling feeling knowing that first-generation and low-income students have the world against them — that college access and the resources to help someone continue their education are set up for those who already know how to use them. Being first-generation does not mean the world is against you; it means that you will have to look and try harder to find opportunities that are right for you. When you have a passion and a desire to keep moving forward, you will successfully challenge those systems. You do not have to be a first-generation student to know that; there is so much to learn in the world that it might be unbearable, but you keep going anyway. I have so much left to learn, and I have no intention of stopping at Emory University.
Martin Arriaga (24C) is from Dallas.
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