Stress overtook her senses as the thought of starting her college applications loomed over her.
Senior Andrea Herrera had no idea who to turn to for help, especially since her parents had no experience with the process and could not help her with college applications. As a first-generation college student, she was on her own. Herrera could feel all eyes on her as she struggled to reach her goals.
“In my family, going to college came with a lot of pressure because I am the oldest born here in the United States and I have two little sisters who see me as their role model,” Herrera said. “My parents have never said it, but I would feel like a failure if I didn’t go.”
As the pressure and her fear of failure began to build up, a solution presented itself.
“At one point I was really stressed that I had no one to help me, but then I started going to the college office more often,” Herrera said.
From then on, when looking for resources and support during her college search and application process, Herrera would turn to the counselors in the college office, specifically college counselor Mr. Arnulfo Castaneda.
“I go to the college office a lot and talk to Mr. Castaneda,” she said. “The college office was the main place that I went to for college resources.”
Mr. Castaneda’s goal is for first-generation college students like Herrera to feel at ease coming to him with their college-related questions.
“There are never any stupid questions, because not everyone knows this information,” Mr. Casteneda said. “I am a first-generation college student too, so I hope kids feel more comfortable talking to someone who has been through the same experience and is able to help walk them through the college process step by step.”
In addition to frequenting the college office, Herrera got help from her close companions whom she could trust to give her good advice. These people included an older cousin, as well as her friends’ older siblings.
With the help she’s gotten, Herrera was able to figure out what life after high school is going to look like in order for her to achieve her long-time goal of becoming a psychiatrist for children with autism.
“I am going to Los Angeles Valley College for two years and then I am going to hopefully transfer to Mount Saint Mary’s University because they have a really good medical program,” she said.
Herrera’s parents fully support her decision and are proud that she is taking the steps to pursue a higher education, something they wish they would have done themselves.
“My parents definitely supported my decision and always have,” she said. “They say that without a degree it’s harder to get to these higher places in life, so college has always been a very important thing for them because they want my life to be easier than theirs was.”
On top of making her parents proud, Herrera hopes that getting a college education and obtaining a well-paying career will one day raise the economic status of her family.
“For me, it’s not about the money, but I do think pursuing a career in the field I want will break the cycle in my family of having to live paycheck to paycheck,” Herrera said. “It makes me really emotional because I know that it will be worth everything that I gave.”
For many students who don’t have family members who have attended college, the idea of being the first can be extremely overwhelming. They feel as if they are carrying the hopes and dreams of their parents as well as their own. Herrera explains that this causes many to just give up.
“A lot of kids get discouraged because they feel they are doing it for their mom or they are doing it for their dad and it’s a lot of pressure,” she said. “But I think going to college is so much more about doing it for yourself.”
She went on to say that college provides you with a new array of experiences that help you grow as a person, all the more reason that the decision to go should be based on personal aspirations and not those of others.
“College gives you a whole new perspective that’s different from high school,” Herrera said. “You are able to explore who you are in ways that you didn’t think you could. It’s an experience not just for education, but an experience of life.”
The college counselors want students from minority groups to know that they can go to college if they set their minds to it.
“Our number one goal is trying to get these students to feel more comfortable with the process, since a lot of the time they don’t have the resources at home to navigate the process themselves,” Mr. Castaneda said.
While Herrera has been given the opportunity to live out her college dream due to hard work and sacrifice, she recognizes that this is not the case for every student from her ethnic background.
“There is still racism towards Latinos when it comes to going to college,” Herrera said. “Some people discriminate against us because they don’t think we can do the things that they can. They don’t view us as the type of people who go to college or view us as hard-working people, even though I feel in reality it is the complete opposite.”
She has experienced the effects of these stereotypes personally and tries to fight them every chance that she gets.
“As a Latina myself, I’ve encountered these stereotypes firsthand,” Herrera said. “It’s important to challenge these stereotypes and showcase the diverse talents and ambitions within the Latino community.”
