Gen X Graduate
I was a first generation college student who had to be resourceful and dedicated in order to succeed. Both of my parents worked as civil servants for the City of Los Angeles. My father was a fireman and my mother was a secretary for the City of Los Angeles Fire Department. Neither had a college education; their generations' had a different set of expectations and challenges.
Starting families and living off of one income was what they considered to be the “norm.” College educations were both a novelty and a luxury that most couldn’t afford or didn’t aspire to. As such, neither of my parents understood how to navigate the college application process, nor did they have any understanding of what room and board would cost. While they were completely supportive of my pursuit to attend a 4-year college, the journey rested on my shoulders. There were no immediate role models.
I am a child of the 80’s. I am Generation X. I would say that ours was the first generation where obtaining 4-year degrees was generally attainable, affordable, and expected. It was also understood that in order to have a seat at the table within corporate America, you needed a Bachelor’s degree. I saw my 4 year degree as a way to earn more than the previous generation, and, most importantly, give me career choices and upward mobility. It also granted me financial freedom, which meant I could pursue more of my own, personal goals and not have to fall in line with society’s former expectations of women.
As my Senior year of high school approached and SATs had come and gone, I started to realize that I didn’t prepare for either my SATs or do enough research on which colleges would be a solid fit for me. I started earning a stable income at my first job and enrolled at a community college. My short-term goal was to earn enough transferable credits and in that time determine which college was the best fit for me. I had a lot of people tell me that most students who enrolled at a community college usually didn’t transfer to a 4-year college or complete their degree. This lit a fire in me to get this done and put myself in a position of success.
My boyfriend at the time was accepted into USC. I started to feel pressure to find my fit within the vast college campus systems. We took a trip to Northern California and went from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo up to Sonoma State. It was clear that I wasn’t going to immediately get into the classes of my choice. I wasn’t prepared for that! Now I had to hope that the next three colleges on my visit were going to be a solid fit. I decided on a quick detour to visit St. Mary’s College of California, where a cousin of mine had just enrolled. I fell in love with the campus of rolling hills and beautiful California Mission-style architecture. An impromptu campus tour revealed that the student-teacher ratio was 22-1. I was sold!
I thought that I belonged at a large campus like UCLA, but something with this campus resonated. The undergraduate student body size was roughly 2,200 students. I started to feel like this was a selling point for me. I wouldn’t get lost in a sea of students. I could benefit from more time with my instructors.
Now that I had found an emotional and educational connection with a college, reality set in. How was I going to pay for this beautiful school? I had no idea.
Thankfully, my younger cousin was attending this school. His mom, my Godmother, would be a good sounding board. I called her immediately and we shared our enthusiasm for St. Mary’s. I explained that we didn’t at all have the money for a private school. I didn’t see a way in with our current financial situation. She suggested that I call the LAPD for support. (Four years earlier, my stepdad, who was an active LAPD officer, had passed away from a heart attack. He was the sole financial provider for our family). I was encouraged and called the LAPD’s Memorial Foundation. Officer Cindy Woods explained that if I could provide proof that my stepdad financially provided for me with no outside help, I could qualify for financial aid from the foundation. Once financial records were provided and I was approved, I had a social contract to abide by in order to receive funds. Each semester I had to submit report cards to the Memorial Foundation. I had to maintain a minimum of a “B” average. In return, the LAPD would pay what the cost of an average UC school was. This is how I was able to afford my remaining two years at St. Mary’s.
Yet I still needed to work roughly 30 hours a week to help make ends meet. I transferred jobs from Southern California to Northern California. At the time, I was working Collections for Sears. I was never more dedicated around my academics than I was for my two years at St. Mary’s. To quote the musical Hamilton, "I was not throwing away my shot. I was young, scrappy and hungry." I was going to make this work.
I moved from my mother’s house to the school dorms, some 386 miles away. This was the farthest I had ever been from home. I packed up my 1988 Honda Accord to its fullest and drove 5 1/2 hours to my next adventure in life. This opportunity rested solely on my shoulders and it was going to be a lesson in accountability, drive, and motivation. I didn’t have a strict Catholic high school to drive my behavior. This was the big leagues and I needed to make this happen on my own.
College is a lot of things to different people. For me, making it into a 4-year college, after several years at a community college and working at a job that was earning a lot of money, showed me that I could be nimble and reset my expectations. I could put a goal in front of me and find the resources to get there. I had utilized my village. Perhaps my first real-life lesson in collaboration? My godmother, Olivia, was instrumental in helping me set a higher goal for myself and providing soft direction in how to achieve it. I had arrived!
My college environment was a period of adjustment, both socially and academically. I was living with people from much different socio-economic backgrounds than my own. Yet we were all young, thirsty for education and for exploring life away from the comfort of our parents. College sporting events, being in a small class size, and just being young people out to conquer the world, brought us all together. We formed strong, long lasting friendships and bonds.
By the way, I can say that I did very little college partying. I wasn’t taking my eye off the ball. My fun took place prior to being at St. Mary’s. Others had their “college fun” and, hey, cheers to that!
The experience of being in a completely different physical environment and making frequent trips into San Francisco, Berkeley and the then sleepy Napa wine country, really opened my eyes to a different appreciation of topography, view points, and ways of life. It made me question who I was and what I stood for. What were my interests? College is a social awakening as much as it is an academic education. For example, I loved the new climate. Winters were cold. Sports like rugby and lacrosse were commonplace. I had never even heard of rugby. This was 1992, cut me a break! Everything was green with redwood trees. There were no strip malls to be seen. I was in a quiet town where people knew each other and smiled and waved. Life was slower.
My 4-year college education wrapped up in 1993, after 2 years at St. Mary’s. My college graduation was one of the most fulfilling milestones of my life. My Aunt Vera drove my Grandma Mary up from Los Angeles. I needed no other gift that day. My grandma had been my biggest advocate.
I had overcome the adversity of my upbringing and socio-economic background. I had overcome the adversity of getting into a rut with attending a community college. I was the granddaughter of migrants who, at one time, were picking fruit in orchards to make money as young adults. None of my history was lost on me. I was grateful. I was full of promise. I made this happen.
I now had a 4-year degree from a reputable institution that was going to open doors for me that may have previously been closed to the generations before me. Oh, and another byproduct of going to college was that I ended up going on a 2-month backpacking trip to Europe with two classmates of mine. An unexpected financial windfall had come my way in my last year of college. A grandparent had passed and left me a small amount of money that was enough for the trip. My Uncle Tod, who was the executor of the estate, encourage me to continue my “education” and go to Europe with my friends. I’m glad I listened to him. Again, it takes a village. My European backpacking trip was the best thing I could’ve done. By this time, it was 1994. We had no cell phones. No Venmo. We had to budget our money accordingly. We had to make phone reservations to new hostels every 2-3 days, skipping from one country to another on trains. We were adulting without even knowing it!
Bottom line, being a first generation college graduate meant I was given freedom of choice. That choice afforded me opportunity. That opportunity afforded me financial and upward mobility. It also made me a citizen of a larger world. For the most part, I didn’t feel like I had a ceiling over me and or my choices in life. It leveled the playing field between a girl with modest means from those who came from a more advantaged background. With hard work, perseverance, and resourcefulness, I could achieve anything.
I don’t think any of this is lost on those who are first generation college students today. First gens are pursuing college because now, in today’s workforce, 4-year degrees are practically a given. These degrees are the ticket to white collar jobs that are now available to anyone. Colleges help place students into internships; they help students land jobs through on-campus job fairs or via alumnae. Colleges cultivate young people into adults and develop their critical thinking skills. The list goes on…
First gens today need as many barriers to entry removed as possible. For me, it was financial aid to a private college. For someone else, it could be as simple as an application fee or just the support of parents and family. The more resources available to young first generation students, the better off we all are. The next generation always helps to shape our communities and the world. Early investments in this group eventually pay dividends for society as a whole.
- Sylvia Roberts
St. Mary’s College of California Alumna
Class of 1993