Although many believe college is a challenging experience for all students, extra obstacles sometimes exist for Latina students who are the first in their families to enter the world of higher education.
But first-generation Latina students at the University have Mujeres, a student group and source of support they may not even know about.
The group is an offshoot of MEChA and has been established for several years. It has achieved significant growth this year, drawing an increase in membership and establishing its own office space in the EMU.
Mujeres member Gabriela Romero, a junior Spanish major, is originally from Morelia, Michoacán. Because her parents never attended college, she was left without the benefit of their experience when she began to navigate the increasingly complex waters of college admissions.
“They didn’t really help me with the process of applying,” she said.
When she sought help from a college admissions counselor at her high school, she found little help.
“He offered me help to go to community college,” she said.
Like Romero, freshman pre-education major Lorena Landeros was the first in her family to attend college, and she also felt a little lost when entering the process.
“I had (my mother’s) support, but because none of my family had gone through it I didn’t know what to expect,” she said.
Assistant Professor of sociology Jiannbin Shiao said Landeros and Romero’s experiences are common ones for first-generation students.
“There’s not going to be the practical, direct advice they can give their children,” he said. “All they can provide is emotional support.”
Landeros said her parents provided an immense amount of support.
“They’ve always been really supportive of me getting a higher education,” Landeros said. “They want me to have a better life than they had.”
The college admissions process is just the first part of the struggle. Mujeres Coordinator Brenda Sifuentez said the Latina students are often overburdened in college because they’re asked to be “more than just college students.”
“We’re asked to be students. We’re asked to represent our ethnicities. We’re asked to be active and involved,” she said.
Landeros said she sometimes feels alienated on campus and even in class.
“Sometimes it’s really overwhelming going to classes and being tokenized,” she said. “Walking around you don’t see students of color that much.”
Landeros said that as the first college student in her family, she feels an immense pressure to succeed.
“If I fail here, I fail my family,” she said.
Romero said her experience has been similar.
“(There’s) all this pressure to do well for yourself and everyone else,” she said.
Romero, Landeros and Sifuentez all said student organizations helped them cope with the difficult transition to college.
“MEChA was a huge support,” Landeros said. “If you’re having a bad day someone’s there to make you feel better.”
However, Sifuentez said the services the University itself provides, such as the Office of Multicultural Affairs, are not adequate.
“They have their services but they spread them way too thin to accommodate students of color,” she said.
Sifuentez, Landeros and Romero all said they would like to attend graduate school, reaching yet another milestone for their families. They’re driven to succeed partially by the fact that they’re blazing the trail for their children.
“(We’re) paving the way for future generations,” Sifuentez said.