Why first-gen students’ struggles don’t end on graduation day ...Middle East

We’ve heard the story before: the first-generation college student who beats the odds, navigates campus life without a roadmap, and earns a degree for their family, their community and themselves.

It’s a powerful story — and it deserves every bit of celebration.

But what happens next? Where does the story go when the cap and gown come off?

Here’s what we don’t talk about enough: First-generation doesn’t end at graduation.

First-generation professionals — those who are the first in their families to enter professional or white-collar careers — often find themselves reliving the disorientation they experienced as students. The unfamiliar rules. The unspoken expectations. The imposter syndrome. The quiet embarrassment of not knowing what a “401(k) match” is or how to ask for mentorship, negotiate a raise or navigate workplace politics without the social capital others inherited by virtue of their last names.

As a first-gen professional, I’ve sat through meetings I didn’t know how to prepare for, absorbed acronyms like a second language and learned to mimic confidence while I figured things out on the fly. And I’m not alone. Many of us are still translating, still code-switching, still carrying the weight of being “the first” — and often, still the only.

Some of us learn to navigate these spaces well over time. We become the mentors we didn’t have. We pave the way for others. We make the unfamiliar feel familiar. But that learning curve can be steep, isolating and — too often — silent.

As a professor who teaches many first-generation, working-class, low-income and marginalized students, I bring this reality into the classroom intentionally. I talk openly with my students about what it really means to be “first” — not just in college, but in the workplace and in life. I share behind-the-scenes knowledge that others take for granted because I remember what it felt like to not even know what questions to ask.

Success isn’t just about grades or degrees — it’s about learning to move through unfamiliar spaces with confidence even when that confidence has to be learned and earned. Many of the awkward, uncertain moments they’re having now don’t magically disappear after college. That’s not a sign of failure. That’s the first-gen experience.

Transparency is key.

Students deserve to know how the professional world works — how opportunities are accessed, how power moves and how to advocate for themselves in spaces where they may not feel like they belong. Belonging is easier to feel when someone is willing to pull back the curtain.

And this conversation has never been more urgent.

In today’s political climate, we’re watching programs designed to support first-gen, low-income, and underrepresented students face funding cuts, legal challenges, and ideological attacks.

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The myth of meritocracy is being pushed harder than ever. But first-gen students and professionals know better.

Higher education institutions have begun to support first-gen students. But where is the support for first-gen faculty? First-gen doctors? First-gen nonprofit leaders, artists, and engineers? Once we cross the stage, the programs and pipelines often vanish.

To retain first-gen professionals, we need to stop treating their challenges as something they “should’ve left behind” in college. We can start by connecting first-gen professionals with mentors who’ve been in their shoes. They deserve workplaces that don’t expect perfection on day one, but offer support, community, and space to grow. And we must stop sidelining their stories. Being first is not just a personal achievement — it’s a form of courage that should be honored, recognized, and woven into every conversation we have about equity and belonging.

Being first-gen is not a phase. It’s a perspective — a powerful one — that we carry with us for life.

Because the truth is: the journey doesn’t end when the diploma is framed. First-gen is forever. Let’s build a world that finally sees that — and fights for it.

Yolanda Wiggins is an assistant professor of sociology at San José State University and a Public Voices Fellow at The OpEd Project.

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