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Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School

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Articles 91 - 111 of 111

Full-Text Articles in Nonfiction

Keagan, Morika Fields Feb 2015

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.

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Revelation, Tanya Diaz Feb 2015

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.

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What Am I?, Carlie Cuddihy Feb 2015

What Am I?, Carlie Cuddihy

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

This autobiographical work revolves around the author's personal identity and how she sorts through various stories of her family's heritage. Cuddihy is able to relate her family stories to her own life and connect them to resonant themes of American identity. The development of the author's family over the years has granted her the opportunity to attend a four-year university today.

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A Routine, A Life, Miriam Vega Sep 2014

A Routine, A Life, Miriam Vega

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

Parental sacrifice is a reality author Miriam Vega knows much about. In her personal narrative, Vega brings forth a concept very few acknowledge, i.e., the cost of responsibility and its future effect on children. At a young age, Vega was charged with taking care of very young siblings, while her parents worked most of the day. She feels guilty about wanting a better life for herself because she acknowledges and appreciates her parents’ sacrifices. Growing up in a family where the “importance of work . . . [became] more of a survival tool than an art of success,” by the …

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For Them, Oscar Pineda Sep 2014

For Them, Oscar Pineda

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

In his narrative, author Oscar Pineda delves into the concept of the American Dream. When the narrative opens, Oscar finds himself sitting on a plastic chair the day of his graduation, realizing that his life has been the result of parental nurture, devotion, and hardship. With family as his drive for success, Oscar soon realizes that his own American Dream “is for them,” the people that supported him through high school.

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One Day, It'll Pay Off, Valeria Pereira Sep 2014

One Day, It'll Pay Off, Valeria Pereira

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

Change has an unsettling power that can scare most individuals. For those who commute between different environments on a daily basis, change may range from “seeing a pregnant mother pushing a stroller with a five year old by her side, [to seeing] a white lady jogging, with a white, well-groomed poodle by her side.” Change means difference, and for author Valeria Pereira, change comes in the form of different socio-economic environments. Between attending an expensive private school and living in Lennox, CA, Pereira learned the significance of dissimilarity. It was that experience, however, that aided her in overcoming her educational …

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Bitter Sweet, Valerie Nario Sep 2014

Bitter Sweet, Valerie Nario

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

First-generation college student Valerie Nario narrates her struggle to finance her education and her determination to attend the school of her dreams at all costs.

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I'M Possible, Aszanee Laws Sep 2014

I'M Possible, Aszanee Laws

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

Always seen as the “smart one” by her family, Aszanee Laws is heavily pressured into attending college, which results in a disastrous fail. She drops out with the hopes of being famous, but with no effort or dedication, she sits hopelessly wishing for a miracle, lost and alone in a sea of choices. Coming face to face with herself, Aszanee makes a decision that will change her life forever.

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I'Ll Be Your Friend, Min-Jung Kim Sep 2014

I'Ll Be Your Friend, Min-Jung Kim

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

In this piece, Min-Jung Kim chronicles her struggles as a young Korean-American girl trying to pursue her American Dream to be the first-generation college student in her family.

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The Unseen And Unheard: Details Of A True Love Story, Gabriela Hassan Sep 2014

The Unseen And Unheard: Details Of A True Love Story, Gabriela Hassan

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

A real-life love story: Gabriela Hassan writes about the challenges of balancing her romantic relationship and college life. Her story presents an overwhelming range of emotion and high levels of expectations and demands from her loved ones. As Gabriela’s time at Loyola Marymount University comes to an end, and her adult responsibilities begin to merge in, her world may appear much more chaotic and stressful than the typical college student. With the continuous presence of love and support, however, her happiness is at an all-time high.

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"I'Ve Been Sucked Into American Culture And Look What It's Done To Me!:" The Charms Of Living In The Shadows And The Closet, Diana Sofia Delgado Cornejo Sep 2014

"I'Ve Been Sucked Into American Culture And Look What It's Done To Me!:" The Charms Of Living In The Shadows And The Closet, Diana Sofia Delgado Cornejo

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

Brought to the US from Peru as a young child, Diana Delgado discovers that she is fated to be ni de aqui ni de alla¸ neither from here nor there, eternally straddling two worlds. As her family’s legal status hangs in the balance, Diana struggles to grow up juggling the dichotomies between class, culture, and sexuality, eventually caught between coming out of the shadows to her friends, and coming out of the closet to her family. As her high school career draws to a close, she is forced out of both secrets in the worst way possible.

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White Boy, Anonymous Apr 2014

White Boy, Anonymous

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

This piece represents the difference between race and environment coming from my perspective as a first-gen college student.

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Life Is Very Much Like A Storm, Anonymous Apr 2014

Life Is Very Much Like A Storm, Anonymous

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

A day in the life of a first gen student.

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I'M On The Right Track, Guadalupe Mejia Apr 2014

I'M On The Right Track, Guadalupe Mejia

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

Being a first generation college student meant that sometimes I would feel confused and lost among the swarm of information being thrown at me. This piece shows how necessary it is to keep a positive outlook and to learn to rely on the support that you receive, whether from parents or from within. This is my first-gen experience.

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Mi Tierra Natal, Anonymous Apr 2014

Mi Tierra Natal, Anonymous

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

My father has an overarching influence on me. It has, for as long as I can remember, been my goal to make him proud of me. I'm not sure if I have, I am not sure if haven't, but one thing is for certain, he has and will always continue being my motivation. He, along with my mother, are my reason to continue on with this concept of "pushing forward." They are the defintion of my first-gen expereince, but I think it's important for me to understand their experiences and how they have shaped mine. This is my attempt at …

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Higher Education, Anonymous Apr 2014

Higher Education, Anonymous

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

This is literally my story of attending LMU as a first-gen college student. It includes what it took for me to get here as well as the struggles that I still face. I am still writing this essay as I live it, but I am glad that I had a chance to reflect on where I have come so far.

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Hasty Journaling On A Badass Little Old Lady's Computer, Anonymous Apr 2014

Hasty Journaling On A Badass Little Old Lady's Computer, Anonymous

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

AB Trip Tucson/East LA 2014 was heartwrenching for this writer. The trip focused on immigration, particularly on the plights of the people affected by the militarization of the border. The writer is undocumented his/herself, and for this reason would prefer to keep his/her identity en cachette.

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Vision: The Blind Steps Of A First-Generation College Student, Adrian Vazquez Apr 2014

Vision: The Blind Steps Of A First-Generation College Student, Adrian Vazquez

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

It is difficult to pinpoint or isolate specific events in a person’s life and say, “There, that is what caused this to happen--that’s what’s shaped him in to who he is.” Often it is a series of sometimes unrelated events that mold and shape an individual into who he or she is. This is such an account. It is a narrative of my journey describing some of the twists and turns, the good times and the bad leading up to my acceptance into LMU and the beginning of my new life.

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The Interweaving Of Metaphor: Writing And Crocheting, Jennifer Ellspermann Apr 2014

The Interweaving Of Metaphor: Writing And Crocheting, Jennifer Ellspermann

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

As part of my personal development, I found that attending LMU helped me to better understand my multiple identities. How do you define a half Mexican/half Caucasian female who is a fraternal twin and had a Catholic school upbringing? I have found that my family, educational background, and creative writing has helped me to express the excitement, frustrations, and expectations of being the first in my family to obtain a university degree.

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I'Ve Changed, Kenneth Chancey Apr 2014

I'Ve Changed, Kenneth Chancey

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

This piece entitled "I've Changed "is a personal testimony told creatively through incorporation of a physical statue known by many, and the use of imagination, in order to understand my past experiences. Just as "I've Changed" demonstrates my potential to adapt and overcome many obstacles that have presented themselves to me in the past, it also highlights my strength and potential to continue pushing forward. The piece relates to my first-generation experience here at LMU because often I have felt isolated, dumb and unworthy of the education I have received, not because I lack intelligence, but because I did not …

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A Speechless Night, Guadalupe Astorga-Contreras Apr 2014

A Speechless Night, Guadalupe Astorga-Contreras

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

Death is something we all have or will deal with. However, as first-generation college students, many of us have loved ones in different countries, and even continents, who we can't get to in these difficult times. This piece explores my reaction to a personal experience in which I was not able to say goodbye to my grandmother because of my inability to travel out of the country due to certain circumstances.

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