First Generation College Attendee

I was a first generation college student when I attended the Loyola Marymount University, and later transferred to the University of Miami-FL (GO Canes!). My mother and father never attended college. My grandparents never attended college, and as far as I know, my great-grandparents didn’t attend college as well. So, following the footsteps of my older brother, and continuing the path for my younger brother, I am honored to wear the badge of being a part of the inaugural generation of my family tree that was able to attend college.

Many of you, like me, face the same situation of being first generation college students and I understand the pressures that come along with it. There are a lot of high expectations placed upon us (and rightfully so) because we have embarked upon a world that has never been discovered by many of our family members. They view us as the pioneers that will forever alter the course of generational paths by writing new chapters of greatness that will be deeply rooted in our family trees.

Going into my first year of college I can honestly say that I didn’t not know what to expect. It is always a new experience when going to a new school, let alone a new chapter in your life. However, I knew that it was an exciting time for me in which there was a lot to be learned and absorbed.

I told myself that the most important thing for me to do was to make sure that I got the most out of this experience and not to waste the opportunity that I was given because so much was riding on it. So many proud eyes were watching me. So many tears of joy were wept, and to the best of my ability, I didn’t want my first generational experience to be a failure. Now, it is not to say that I did not have my hiccups, because college is a learning process and a lot of this process is learning how to balance (which I will talk about in future posts).

During college, I had two major responsibilities – academics and baseball. I chose to pursue my love of space and my dream of becoming an astronaut by majoring in Aerospace Engineering while continuing to pursue my dream of being a major league baseball player. What I quickly learned was that this was not going to be a walk in the park because there were so many other outside influences that were a part of the college experience.

Thirteen years later, after attending two colleges and reaching the pinnacle of my baseball career as a major leaguer, I stand one semester shy from graduating with my degree in Aerospace Engineering. In order to pursue my career in baseball I had to leave school early, but I did return to inch myself closer to graduating.

Being first generation means that you are making history. So in the spirit of “making,” I encourage you to make the most of it.

I am proud to say that both of my brothers graduated from their respective schools (Sacramento State University and Washington State University) and earned their “first generation” college diplomas. I will soon join them.

Much SUCCESS!