For many first-generation college students, the promise of higher education is a dream deeply rooted in their parents’ aspirations. Parents who may have missed out on the educational, employment and social opportunities from earning a college degree often instill in their children that this should be an ultimate objective for a better life of promise and possibilities.
I can still hear my father’s voice, emphasizing the importance of a college education. He was determined that his children would earn the degree he never had, to ensure that job opportunities and promotions would never be out of reach because we lacked a college degree. While his impassioned and persistent urging that we attend college often felt like parental nagging, it did not take long for me to recognize once I was on campus and immersed in college life that his insistence was a profound gift – a life-changing opportunity made possible by loving and supportive parents.
Many first-generation students like me come from ethnic, minority and socio-economic backgrounds that are underrepresented and underserved on college campuses. The financial burden of higher education often requires these students to cobble together scholarships, loans and part-time work to cover tuition and other expenses. Some students are older, commute because they live off-campus, or juggle family caregiving and financial responsibilities alongside their academic commitments.
Being the first in their families to attend college, the students lack the benefit of having guidance from family members who attended college before them that can be helpful in their transition into and ability to navigate college life successfully. Gaps include understanding college finances, meeting academic expectations, and the importance of finding a sense of belonging within the college community.
These challenges can threaten the academic success that students and their families hope for. Yet successfully managing these obstacles can also equip first-generation students with resilience that helps them to achieve their goal of earning a degree. It is vital that colleges and universities step in to bridge the critical gaps these students face. Ultimately, it is about helping these students build confidence, gain the knowledge necessary for success, and feel that they truly belong.
At The Catholic University of America where I teach, we take this support role seriously through our Take Flight program, an initiative open to all first-generation students. Now in its fifth year, the program is led by Javier Bustamante, director of our Center for Cultural Engagement. Thanks to his leadership, Take Flight has become a success story, boasting impressive retention and graduation rates. For example, the first cohort of Take Flight students admitted in the fall of 2019 achieved a very impressive graduation rate of 81 percent in 2023. For the first-generation class admitted in the fall of 2023 we can report an exceptional retention rate of 93 percent for our Take Flight participants.
While first-generation students are academically qualified to succeed in college, confidence often presents a significant barrier. Take Flight focuses on building that confidence through early pre-college summer sessions and ongoing support throughout their college years. The program helps students set and maintain academic and personal goals, provides financial literacy education, and introduces them to the university’s academic, counseling and career services. Students are also paired with upper-class first-generation mentors, fostering a supportive community where they can form friendships and find a place of belonging on campus.
Although Take Flight is still relatively young, we continually focus on how to increase student participation, retention and graduation rates. Examples include increasing financial aid to reduce the financial strain on these students, creating fully funded summer programs to help them transition confidently into college, and offering study abroad funding so they can share in these experiences.
Survey responses from first-generation students who have participated in the program underscore the importance initiatives like Take Flight have in opening doors to higher education for those who may have thought it unattainable.
One rising sophomore wrote, “Take Flight helped me know that there is a community there to support me and guide me through the challenges of being a first-gen student. It made me know that I am not alone.”
Another student, now a junior, wrote in her first year, “A private, Catholic, and PWI [predominantly White] school? God, help me through this.” By her sophomore year, her outlook had transformed: “I will give back to others tenfold what was given to me.” Now, as she begins her junior year, she says, “Can’t wait to engage with the new freshmen!”
Take Flight is about uplifting first-generation students and fulfilling the dreams of their parents, who believe in the power of a college degree to unlock a world of opportunities for the next generation.
(Veryl Victoria Miles serves as Special Assistant to the President of The Catholic University of America and is a law professor at the university.)
