Arts and Humanities Commons^™

For Those Who Grew Too Fast, Erik Soto-Vasquez, Leonardo Dominguez-Ortega, Kiana Liu, Veronica Gomez, Maria Fernanda Meléndez Miranda, Megan Mcnaughton, Haley Gronski, Quetzali Lopez, Marieann Garzon, Brisa Gutierrez, Saúl Rascón Salazar, Mariel Fuentes, Renato Guzman, Karina Pena, Aviva Schwaiger, Denise Espinoza, Tiana Lockett, Katherine Comasil-Hernandez, Ashley Mccluskey, Brayan Vazquez, Manuel Armendariz Castro, Hannah Agbaroji

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This volume welcomes you amid multiple global epidemics. It welcomes you home, hoping that these words provide visibility, comfort, introspection, and roadmap for pushing boundaries. We know we are tired, we know we are facing uncertainty at every turn, and we know that connection is wearing thin. This collection of words serves as an “I see you,” as an “I am with you,” as an “I love you.” These pieces came together toward end of the Spring 2020, when a group of first-year and transfer students came together to speak their existence. They bring memories and a reminder that together …

The Stories We Tell, Daniella Cornejo, Daniel Penuela, Stacey Leon, Audrey Ashami Hammond, Guillermo Gonzalez, Laura Mejia, Jordyn Patterson, Luisa Valle, Mirian Melendez, Nicole Hernandez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

These voices you will hear in this edition of First Gen Voices were crafted and cultivated in a summer trip to the Dominican Republic, where our writers had the opportunity to workshop and reflect on their experiences being first-generation. The purpose? To share their work, mind, and feelings about the struggles and incredible experiences they have made. It is their strength, resilience, and love. Enjoy.

Live. Tell. Resist., Angel Vazquez, Kyle Liang, Anthony Zelaya-Umanzor, Rosie Mejia, Patricia Gutierrez, Kayla Hampton, Mariacarolina Gomez, Melissa Martinez-Sanchez, Harman Brah, Victoria Arevalo, Tyra Cecilio, Dion Dang, Camila De Pierola, Noemi Fernandez Luna, Isabelle Marin, Mackenzie Mead, Jason Munoz, Daniel Penuela, Andrei Pineda, Patrick Pozon, Larissa Ramirez, Jasmine Segovia, Julien Stone Zachary, Aira Wada, Jiaxing Yu, Ariana Siordia, Jazmin Quezada

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This edition of First-Gen Voices features the stories and work of 24 first-generation college students at multiple higher education institutions. The aim is to disseminate a story about us, for us, and consequently, the dominant cultures that have yet to learn from our power.

Dignidad, Poder, Resistencia // Dignity, Power, Resistance, Michael Munoz, Alanis Gonzalez, Tallie Spencer, Isabelle Marin, Lesly Juarez, Christopher Reynoso, Antonia Garcia, Abigail Goad, Athena Martinez, Ruth Gomez, Angel Vazquez, Jazmin Quezada, Jasmine Segovia, Jordyn Wedell, Yulisa Gonzalez, Laura Mena Hernandez, Keiri Fernandez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

First To Go Abroad" is a partnership between the Loyola Marymount University First To Go Program, LMU Study Abroad, and the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), which seeks to increase study abroad opportunities for first-generation college students. In May 2017, fifteen first-gen students and two first-gen faculty mentors traveled together to Santiago, Dominican Republic, where they spent ten days exploring the country and learning about the local cultures, customs, and histories of the people who call the DR home.

Travel is a privilege not all students have the same access to; for some students, this trip was the first …

The City From Above, Guadalupe Astorga Contreras

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

The city of Tijuana, Mexico has become a second home to many LMU students through programs like De Colores, which introduce students to issues of immigration, poverty, and education. The city varies from L.A.-style skyscrapers and paved roads to shacks along dirt paths. This image shows some of the diversity and growth of the city as it continues to develop, and provides a different perspective on the crowded communities that make up Tijuana.

Tourist To My Own Culture, Guadalupe Astorga Contreras

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

After nine years of living in the U.S. and staying away from her cultural homeland of Mexico, photographer Astorga returned to some of the places she remembered visiting as a child in her native country. Throughout the trip, the unthinkable change from intimacy to unfamiliarity was clear. These pictures show that progression and invite the viewer to become a tourist alongside Astorga as she visits a place she once considered home.

Only 45 Minutes Away, Guadalupe Astorga Contreras

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Being a part of an immigrant family, photographer Astorga has not had the chance to travel much even within her home state of California. Trips through class, clubs and events sponsored by Loyola Marymount University have provided her with the opportunity to visit places like Catalina Island right off the coast of L.A. and see things she and her family had only talked and dreamed of.

Hereisthefamilymotherfatherdickandjane: An Analysis Of Parenting And The Dick And Jane Readers In Morrison’S The Bluest Eye, Rachel Roseman

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

First-generation college student Rachel Roseman has found the American educational and cultural systems to privilege the white, upper to middle classes. As Toni Morrison demonstrates in The Bluest Eye, those who do not fit this mold often lack educational support and have to learn how to navigate cultural systems on their own. Unlike the character of Pecola, who features in the following essay, Roseman had a strong community and family who supported her decision to attend college and, as a result, achieved success.

Understanding School, Tiffany P. Ta

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

As a first-generation college student in the Silicon Valley, author Tiffany Ta grew up in a high-achieving academic culture that she only really began to unpack and understand in college. Upon being exposed to more diverse cultures and backgrounds, Ta began to realize that her upbringing was vastly different than many others, and that some of her classmates' behaviors were unnatural. This poem reflects how she now feels about the experience looking back.

Did You?, Tiffany P. Ta

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This poem is a reflection on first-generation college student Tiffany Ta's family heritage. The piece focuses on the author's grandmother, who Ta never really got to know.

Ice, Genesis Montalvo

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Commonly known as ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement works to monitor the level of illegal migration to the United States. They also are in charge of at least 40% of deportation of innocent, non-criminal immigration violators. At times, the children of these immigrants are born in the United States. As US citizens, ICE cannot deport them without violating their rights, resulting in the separation of families. This poem speaks of a young child whose mother was deported by ICE and the yearning of wanting to know where the mother is. The mix of English and Spanish reinforces the …

For The Dreamers, Mariajose Gomez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

"For the Dreamers" reflects the author's experience on a De Colores immersion trip to Casa de Migrantes in Mexico, Tijuana. This was Gomez's first time traveling out of the country, and the experience helped her realize that no human being should be considered “illegal” simply because of man-made barriers. The piece exposes the complex social dynamics that inform the experiences of both immigrants and citizens of the United States. The purpose of the poem is to challenge readers' views on immigration and highlight the role social constructs and stereotypes play in establishing preconceived ideas about immigrants. The author hopes readers …

Sheep In A Grotto, Laken D. Brooks

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Many first-generation college students undergo feelings of inadequacy in what is known as "impostor syndrome." This piece of fiction is born from such feelings of identity confusion and formation. The story functions as a written snapshot of an otherwise normal teenager whose life is threatened by a sexual assault; she faces and overcomes trauma at the cusp of her coming of age. Brooks' tale incorporates a raw focus upon the protagonist's ability to persevere and thrive in the face of violence. Ultimately, this text transcends a single character's journey into womanhood to reflect a message of hope and growth.

The Beauty Within Us, Areli C. Hernandez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This piece of prose, inspired by Chapter 23 of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, tells the story of a simple, yet vivacious get-together of migrant Latino workers, exploring the beauty within us--members of the migrant farm worker community.

Ruined For Life, Facundo Gonzalez Icardi

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

As a first-generation college student from a low income family, Gonzalez Icardi never thought he would have the chance to travel outside his home country. This reflection expresses his deep gratitude for the opportunity to study at LMU, and his eagerness to take advantages of the services that the university provides. Gonzalez Icardi found his Ignacio Companions trip to be eye opening, expanding his awareness of how other cultures live; though heartbreaking at times, Gonzalez Icardi remains grateful for the experience.

Reconnecting With Nature, Christopher H. Reyes

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This set of poems addresses the first-gen author's view of modernization from the past to the present, focusing on the need for individuals to reconnect with Nature.

On The Wrong Side, Alvaro Gonzalez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This piece represents two different aspects of life--one that is more superficial and one that is much more meaningful. Though the author had these two associations in mind at the time of composition, the poem can be interpreted in many ways depending on the reader's experiences and perspective. To some, the poem simply describes a man at the park; to others, the man may represent a father figure or a significant other.

Bailamos Juntos: Salsa En Los E.E.U.U. Y El Mundo, Betty Tran

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This composition traces the history of Cuban-American cultural identity formation through the lens of music and dance. As the author explains, Cuban immigrants cultivated a rich music and dance culture in New York City by creating a series of Latin and Afro-Cuban music genres and dances that brought diverse groups of people together. As a Vietnamese-American woman, Tran sees several connections between her family’s Vietnamese heritage and the cultural histories of Cubans who came to the United States as refugees seeking asylum from political oppression. As a first-generation college student, Tran believes it is important to share this composition as …

A Tres Pasos De La Muerte, Samuel Temblador

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

"A Tres Pasos de la Muerte" tells the story of a son of Mexican immigrants and his search for his roots. Here, Temblador attempts to communicate a bicultural experience through the frame of border literature (Literatura Fronteriza) born out of the intersection between Mexican and American culture.

Applications For Dummies, Carla M. Sanchez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This poem discusses the overwhelming pressure that is put on students to justify their right to be admitted into universities or to receive scholarships based on their extracurricular activities. Many working-class, first-generation college students are unable to participate in organizations and programs that offer students a more well-rounded college experience. This can lead first-gen students, like the author, to feel isolated, inadequate, or illegitimate. "Applications for Dummies" expresses Sanchez's incessant fear that she will never be able to compete with other students who were given the opportunity to build more worldly resumes, despite her strong academic commitment and intellectual potential.

It's Not Just A Leave, Genesis L. Montalvo

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

In this piece, the author sets out to explore the first-generation college identity through a gothic lens. In the early stages of this project, Montalvo had considered doing research on narratives from other first-gen college students as a way to trace the uncanny and the abject in their experiences. However, as she began reflecting on her own personal history, she realized that in a matter of only two years she had already experienced moments of distance, uncanniness, and confusion, which are recorded here. In presenting these installments in non-chronological order, Montalvo intends to insert a gothic element of disorder, which …

Flashlight, Min-Jung Kim

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This poem illustrates the struggle of an undergraduate first-generation college student who knew little about the first-gen identity or the experiences she would encounter until she became a First To Go Scholar at Loyola Marymount University. The poet represents the First To Go Program as a flashlight that has helped her to navigate a once dark and unfamiliar environment.

Keagan, Morika Fields

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

"Keagan" recounts a first-gen poet's experience babysitting a 12 month old who cried incessantly for his mother. Reflecting upon the evening in the weeks that followed, the author comes to realize that this 12 month old experienced emotions a 30 year old man could relate to: loneliness, abandonment, and heartache. The poem is meant to explore these elements of life that begin in infancy and remain with us into mature adulthood.

Revelation, Tanya Diaz

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

There can sometimes be a gap between first-gen students and parents who have not experienced the stress of higher education. Children may believe this stress to be a necessary sacrifice for their future wellness; however, they often cannot feel their parents' sacrifices, just as their parents cannot feel their child's mental strain. Diaz creates this poem in an effort to examine her relationship with her mother from an outsider's point of view, in the end realizing that although her parents cannot always understand her experiences, they care and will support her decisions.

Fire Within, Anonymous

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

I've always had a dilemma with being "The Good Daughter." I still do. Much of my first-generation experience has revolved around sacrificing myself for those who sacrificed themselves for me. For my success. I, however, at times, desire to be free. To chose what I see fit. To choose what I think I love. To have pride. To have the pride to ignite my fire within. I see pride, and I have attained it. But for myself, for others.

Don't Let It Sink, Anonymous

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

I trip, I fall, and then I pick myself back up again. This has become a daily routine for someone like me. There are days when the easiest thing to do is give up--plain and simple. But, as I tease with the idea, something always turns me, aligns me, back on track. No one said a journey was easy. No one said an ocean calm. After all, "a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."

Personal Statement, Alvaro Gonzalez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

The art of a well crafted Personal Statement.

A Quasi-Prose, Quasi-Spoken Word About The Mullings Of A First Gen Girl, Diana Delgado

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

There are many types of first generation students. I happen to be of the immigrant sort, with parents that have degrees that mean very little on this soil. The "kingdom of the lingua franca" mentioned—the land of English—was very difficult to navigate without first conquering the language, but even afterwards there are some immovable disadvantages. You'll find rich Peruvian references in this piece—Manco Cápac, the founder of one of the longest lasting Inca dynasties, referred to himself as “the son of the sun”; since the sun was a god, Inti, this gave him and succeeding rulers much political power. "Pachamama" …

Natural Resources, Chris Rodriguez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This poem describes the imposter syndrome I had to struggle through as a first-gen student. There are so many extraneous distractions and worries that can lead us astray, make us feel overwhelmed and useless, at least in my case, and I still do get distracted sometimes, but that just takes time away from my day’s study time. I recall my studies at the university bringing up social justice issues and grim histories that I could do nothing but learn about, and it seemed as if the only control I had over my life was to look down upon it. I …

Your Path Versus Mine, Genesis Montalvo

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This poem uses fairytale references to show the differences between first-gen college students and those whose parents have gone to college.