Carrying the Weight: The True Cost of First-Gen Guilt
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Start Date
15-2-2023 12:30 PM
End Date
15-2-2023 1:30 PM
Document Type
Presentation
Description
First-Generation College Students (FGCS) are the pioneers and trailblazers of higher education for their families. Higher education has its own unique culture, language and history which can be difficult for many first-generation college students to understand. Every semester FGCS travel through unknown territory, navigating the “hidden curriculum” while possibly carrying significant guilt for leaving their families and other responsibilities at home. This guilt manifests itself in low-retention and academic persistence rates, a poor sense of belonging both in the collegiate environment and at home with their family, and lack of engagement in the campus community. This presentation will draw on intersectionality, appreciative advising techniques, the role of advisors as cultural navigators, and personal anecdotes to uncover where this “guilt” comes from to illuminate how First-Gen University Professionals can help FGCS navigate the complexities of a “double life”. First-Gen University Professionals’ intentionality in addressing this pervasive guilt can help integrate first-generation college students into the culture of higher education and empower them to take greater agency in their own academic and personal journeys. With the support of inclusive institutional policies and First-Gen University Professionals, FGCS can graduate on-time, discover their true potential, and inspire and elevate the many generations to come.
Copy of slides
Carrying the Weight: The True Cost of First-Gen Guilt
First-Generation College Students (FGCS) are the pioneers and trailblazers of higher education for their families. Higher education has its own unique culture, language and history which can be difficult for many first-generation college students to understand. Every semester FGCS travel through unknown territory, navigating the “hidden curriculum” while possibly carrying significant guilt for leaving their families and other responsibilities at home. This guilt manifests itself in low-retention and academic persistence rates, a poor sense of belonging both in the collegiate environment and at home with their family, and lack of engagement in the campus community. This presentation will draw on intersectionality, appreciative advising techniques, the role of advisors as cultural navigators, and personal anecdotes to uncover where this “guilt” comes from to illuminate how First-Gen University Professionals can help FGCS navigate the complexities of a “double life”. First-Gen University Professionals’ intentionality in addressing this pervasive guilt can help integrate first-generation college students into the culture of higher education and empower them to take greater agency in their own academic and personal journeys. With the support of inclusive institutional policies and First-Gen University Professionals, FGCS can graduate on-time, discover their true potential, and inspire and elevate the many generations to come.