Being the first in your family to attend college is exciting. However, like any unfamiliar experience, it can be scary and challenging too. First-generation students, defined as those whose parents didn’t complete a bachelor’s degree in the U.S., face unique obstacles that come from breaking generational norms.
Almost one-fourth of UT’s population identifies as “first-gen.” As a whole, this large group of students is more likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds or low-income households. They may not have the same support systems that many other students at a prestigious university like UT tend to benefit from. Moreover, first-gen students are less likely to hold formal leadership roles on campus.
UT’s Student Government represents the student body on important issues that affect community welfare. It’s important that those working in Student Government reflect the population that they serve. First-generation Longhorns can benefit greatly from joining Student Government and from seeing students that share similar stories with them in these roles.
“Looking across the board in Student Government to see the diversity within all of the agencies, the Senate and the legislative body, it really did excite me,” said Genesis Britz, a government freshman and ambassador for the Women’s Resource Agency in Student Government.
For students from underrepresented communities, being able to see themselves reflected in role models on campus is inspiring. First-generation students, who make up a significant proportion of the UT population, still struggle to relate to their peers.
“When I talked (in class) about the socioeconomic background that I grew up in, a girl in my team was shocked; she said that that’s something she thought only existed in movies,” Britz said.
First-gen students often lack “socio-cultural capital” in spaces of higher education; there’s a set of norms and expectations that first-gen students don’t enter college with. Rather than forcing them to figure it out, representation of first-gen voices in student government can help students navigate these conversations.
“Having mentors that understood that trauma from being marginalized as a community, and (seeing their) success has definitely inspired me that my ethnicity or my gender isn’t a factor as to why I’m not capable of achieving a certain education level,” Britz said.
Moreover, in light of recent legislative decisions in Texas that limit the ways we can uplift marginalized communities, giving the stage to first-generation voices can promote overall inclusivity.
Ashley Landin, a government and sociology freshman, explained that she sometimes feels out of place in her honors program and sees fewer first-gen students. However, resources and groups on campus that highlight students like her could soothe this discomfort.
“When you’re in that position with other people around you who are nothing like you, you can feel like you’re the odd one out, like you don’t belong, or you start getting impostor syndrome,” Landin said. “Having that duality of communities (between honors and first-gen spaces), I’m reminded that I do belong, and I do deserve to be here and I can succeed here.”
Representation matters when it comes to the first-generation experience, and Student Government is a place where all students can make their unique voices heard, and in turn, allow students who relate to them to feel seen.
Support their voices by prioritizing voting for first-generation student leaders in the next campus elections, and if you’re first-gen, consider applying to Student Government to inspire students like you in the future.
Jackson is a Plan II and journalism sophomore from Boerne, Texas.
