Being a student at Langley and growing up in the Great Falls-McLean area, I’ve gotten used to all of my friends having parents or siblings who have gone to prestigious colleges and know a lot about them. But, I don’t have this luxury.

Both my mom and oldest brother didn’t go to college; my mentally-challenged 18 year old brother is still learning basic life skills.  So I’ll be the first in my family to attend college, which is both blessing and a curse.

Thus, the college process has been complicated from the start. I cannot turn to anyone in my family for advice on college life or college in general because they don’t know much about it. Instead, I have to search the internet for information regarding college.

Not only that, but until the beginning of junior year, I had no idea where to start with the college search. My counselor and FamilyConnection on Blackboard have been extremely helpful, yet this information is not as valuable if it were from someone I know. Fortunately, there are things that other 1st generation college attendees and I can do to further their knowledge on the college process.

“Both parents and students can educate themselves on the various requirements and steps they need to take to initiate and complete the process,” said Counselor Georgia McKain.

As mentioned earlier, being the first person in your family to attend college is also a blessing. For those like myself, there are various scholarships available, and being a minority further extends my chances of being accepted.

So now, as I look to the future, not only do I see myself as a teacher and an author, but I see myself being able to educate my own children about college life. I’m looking forward to that the most.