Hunter Richards
Class of 2018
Pforzheimer House
Concentration: Bioengineering
I love Harvard because I have the opportunity to meet so many interesting people who have incredible passions and goals that inspire me. Some of them are my professors or the guest speaks, but many are my fellow classmates that help me grow as a person. My Harvard experience has allowed me to learn more about myself as well as the world around me. My liberal arts education is helping me to become a better engineer and allows me to explore the different ways that I can apply what I’ve learned that I wouldn’t have had the chance to do if I hadn’t chose Harvard. I’ve been able to travel and meet people I never would have been able to otherwise. I love being a part of such a welcoming community here at Harvard, especially among other first gen students.
David Olvera-Sanchez
Class of 2018
Pforzheimer House
Concentration: Government
I love Harvard because of the wealth of opportunities that Harvard's staff, faculty, and alumni aim to foster amongst its study body. As someone who receives a significant amount of financial aid and is the first in his family to ever leave his hometown, without the support of Harvard I frankly wouldn't be able to study here. Through Harvard, I've been able to meet some of my political heroes, learn from leading political experts, intern in Mexico City, and campaign in upcoming elections. Harvard has equipped me with the tools and opportunity to carry on the chain of the American Dream that my mother and grandparents had laid out before me through their love, determination, and hard work.
#MoreThanAMoment: The First Generation Students Community
Early this past Saturday morning, students energetically gathered, despite it being the weekend. The words of Ana Barros ‘16, a pivotal first generation student leader at Harvard, rang through Science Center Hall B inciting constant snaps, tears, and a standing ovation: “You are the trailblazers, cultural straddlers, ambassadors […] You belong here, your voice is you deserve to be heard, you bring a valuable perspective to your campus. Your stories are important, powerful, and necessary.”
Above: Attendees gathered Saturday morning for the Opening Address to the 1vyG Conference by students Ana Barros '16 and Ted White '17, Dean Rakesh Khurana, Dean Fitzsimmons, and a video message from President Faust
This past weekend, the Harvard College First Generation Student Union hosted the 2016 1vyG Conference for first generation college students across the Ivy League and beyond. Over 350 students, administrators, higher education experts, and alumni representing over 20 colleges nationwide came together on Harvard’s campus. The theme, symbolized by #MoreThanAMoment, focused on not only discussing the first gen identity, but also on developing action plans to bring back to their respective institutions in order to work on establishing concrete institutional programming for the first gen student community. The presentation topics ranged from discussions of the familial impact of going to college for first gen students, talks on affirmative action, and discussions of potential programming efforts needed to provide first gen students institutional support.
Above: The 2016 Harvard 1vyG Planning Committee.
I had the distinct pleasure of serving as one of the Conference Co-Executive Directors, along with Ana Barros ‘16, and working with an amazing group of Harvard students to plan 1vyG 2016. After nearly a year of seemingly never-ending planning, logistical headaches, and constant setbacks, seeing Harvard full of first gen students eager to discuss their identity simply took my breath away. As 1vyG’s first gen student attendees filled Harvard classrooms, dorms, and even Annenberg Hall for our Saturday evening dinner, I simply couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride and validation of my own first gen identity.
Above: Students and guests applauding the Keynote Speaker Address by Dr. Prudence Carter, incoming Dean of the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Education
This past weekend was one that I will never forget. Not just because of the amount of time and energy our planning team focused on planning the conference. But because of the connections I was able to make with students across the country–the laughs, snaps, and deep sense of understanding will stick with me forever. As the weekend concluded, I was proud of my community as well as excited to see what we will accomplish together in the future. Because, although the conference ended, the feelings and plans for change encapsulates what #MoreThanAMoment means–this is a movement.
Above: Student leaders from Harvard and Brown University gathered before concluding the 2016 1vyG Conference.
The San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County in California lies approximately 2,988 miles from Harvard University. The majority of the nine people in my family live approximately 2,988 miles from Harvard University. Home is approximately 2,988 miles from Harvard University.
Approximately.
Numbers have never been my strong point.
Numbers have never been my strong point, but I have always been acutely aware of what those 2,988 miles mean for my family and I. Being away from home, being away from family, has been and continues to be one of the most difficult things about being away at college, no matter how much I’ve been relishing in the experience.
One of my favorite projects (read: forms of procrastination) at the very beginning of the year is covering my dorm room walls with pictures: of friends, trips, pets, and of course, family.
Looking at the image of my mom and dad laughing, next to my big brother and sister can be one of the hardest things to do in the middle of a long day. Seeing my aunts smiling at me while I do readings, can be a lot to handle. I really miss them.
Then I remember-I’m still here, not “in spite of” the fact that I miss my family. The reason that being at Harvard is so hard is the same reason driving me to make the most of my time here. I stay committed to my experiences here, because I love my family so much. They have done so much to support me, to let me be here at Harvard. It is because of my parents and aunts’ energy and love, that I am here with educational opportunities they never dreamed about for themselves.
So even though phone calls and video chats won’t ever be the same as the real deal, I’ll let my mom’s “I love you!”s and my dad’s “Ay siga princessa!”s travel the 2,988 miles that I myself, can’t at the moment.
Derek Ponce
Class of 2018
Kirkland House
Concentration: Biomedical Engineering
I'd have to say that my favorite thing about Harvard is how fast-paced everything is. Everything happens so quickly. There's never a dull moment, and finding a friend group that feels like family makes every day that much better!
Last September, I was a nervous freshman listening to a panel that I never would have believed I would be speaking on a year later. Hearing from upperclassmen about their experiences at Harvard helped me feel more welcome and comfortable on campus but I’ve also learned a great deal during my freshman year. It was great speaking to the first generation freshmen about the advice I wish I had gotten before starting my Harvard career but there are two bits of advice in particular I think are important for anyone to hear.
Above: The founder of the Harvard First Generation Student Union and the current president of FGSU joined me and the other panelists for a photo at the end of the event.
First, I think the most valuable thing I learned was that it’s okay to reach out to professors! I had no idea what professors would be like or how to talk to them. It intimidated me to ask if I could meet with them outside of office hours, let alone raise my hand in class. It wasn’t until I was struggling with a class that I put my worries aside and emailed my professor, only to get an excited reply that they would love to meet with me the next day to go over any material I was confused about. The meeting itself was actually comfortable for me, especially since it was one-on-one. I found that professors really enjoy meeting with students and offering advice. My confidence in classes was much better once I figured out how accessible the faculty really is!
It was also important for me to know that I really did belong here. Harvard was intimidating, especially when I didn’t know exactly how things worked. Seeing my friends and classmates feeling comfortable meeting new people and doing homework from the beginning made me doubt myself at first. College was hard for me to transition to but once I started reaching out to my mentors and peers for advice and finding campus resources to help me navigate everything from courses to student groups, I started to find my place better. Joining a strong first generation community after getting settled to campus made me understand that there are many other students with similar experiences to mine. Learning that I was in fact a Harvard student and therefore Harvard students could be first-generation and come from my background, was a valuable lesson.
The panel ended by asking what was left at Harvard that I wanted to do and there’s a lot. I think Harvard has so much to offer me and now I’m comfortable finding opportunities and have stopped doubting myself. I can’t wait to see what the next three years have in store.
Being a First Generation, Freshman Student at Harvard
I remember my first day here at Harvard–it was extremely overwhelming. As my parents and I entered through the gates of Harvard Yard, I immediately felt uneasy and nervous. My high school had a graduating class of 65 students, so the countless new and eager Harvard students (none of whom I knew) roaming the yard was an instant shock. As the first student from my small public high school to attend Harvard, the sight of students interacting as best friends was intimidating. Even before classes began, it felt as if this was too much for me to handle.
The transition period into a college like Harvard is a daunting experience for anyone. Yet, for first generation college students, whose parents did not graduate from four-year institutions, the difficulties of the Harvard transition can be even more challenging. From adapting to academic life while navigating the social scene to maintaining responsibilities and ties at home, the transition is a lot to handle at once.
While Harvard first gen freshmen are more than capable of excelling in their coursework and extracurricular activities, the transitional difficulties stem from not knowing how to navigate Harvard’s support systems. Harvard’s vast array of offices–from the Bureau of Study Council to Mental Health Services–can be especially helpful as students start their college careers. However, many first gens, like myself, either do not know how to access these resources or are cautious about accessing them: I felt like I shouldn’t ask for help. It took me late into my freshman year to seek out the help I needed.
Above: Former President of the First Generation Student Union, Jasmine Fernandez '16, and other upper class first gens welcoming the first gens of the Class of 2018.
The First Generation Student Union has worked to bridge the informational gap. By partnering with many of the administrative offices as well as developing an open dialogue on support systems, FGSU has helped to provide first year, first gen students more assistance in navigating Harvard’s resources. The result of FGSU’s efforts have been enormous! Hunter Richards ‘18, who just finished her first year, describes: “I was nervous because I couldn’t get help from my parents on courses or get any advice from them about college. But I was able to find my own resources here at Harvard.”
The freshmen period is still a challenging time in first gens’ Harvard experience, but it has changed for the better with the work of the FGSU.
My identity as a first generation college student is something that fills me with pride, but that was not always the case.
Everyday I reflect upon how blessed I am to have the opportunity to attend such a prestigious university (I mean, it’s Harvard!). But the difficulties of being a first generation college student have made my experience, at times, pretty challenging. Between my academic responsibilities at school and my financial struggles back home, my college experience has sometimes seemed to be a never-ending challenge. The social and financial hurdles first generation college students must overcome can make the college experience at Harvard an arduous trek.
While first generation students face these difficulties, recently many have rallied around this identity, swaying the feelings of negativity to ones of empowerment. The first gen identity is now associated with positive attributes like resilience, strength, determination, and courage.
Two years ago, Harvard first generation students rallied together to form the Harvard First Generation Student Union (FGSU). The group’s mission is to build a first generation community at Harvard, ease the transition for first-generation, first-year students, and advocate for institutional reform to better the first generation Harvard experience. Since then, Harvard has seen the first generation community blossom into a thriving group on campus that represents roughly 15% of the student body.
Above: Students and Tutors welcoming First Gen Pre-Frosh at FGSU's 2015 Visitas Reception
Alongside the President of FGSU, Ana Barros ‘16, I have committed myself to helping push the structures of Harvard to better match the students who have voiced these similar difficulties. From annual Visibility Campaigns to various themed panels to even weekly study breaks, FGSU’s short history of student leaders have worked to make Harvard better suited for its first generation students. Ana’s tireless work, which consists of huge time commitments as well as emotional expenditures in sharing her personal story, has culminated in a thriving student group. We have built a community of first gens, and we serve as an activist group to speak on behalf of our community members. Ana’s dedication to the first generation Harvard experience encapsulates, as she describes, the “movement” for first gen support from the college. FGSU has become a force on campus.
Above: Harvard FGSU Leaders holding First Gen T-Shirts as a part of the annual First Gen Visibility Campaign during Visitas.
With a collaboration of the work done by Ana and other first gen leaders, students, like myself, have found pride in our triumphs. FGSU’s student leaders have come together to show that no matter the difficulties in front of us, we are not alone.
Vanessa Decembre
Class of 2016
Currier House
Concentration: Sociology
Harvard has a lot of things to offer, and so my "favorite things" about the university often shift from year to year, semester to semester or even week to week; becuase you really just never know who or what is the around the corner. Thus far, I have enjoyed studying in Winder, seeing Toni Morrison becuase of Norton Lectures and getting involved with campus events such as : Ghungroo Senior Dance, helping plan this year's 1vyG Conference or even welcoming in the freshman who got Currier on Housing Day!
Montita Sowapark
Class of 2018
Pforzheimer House
Joint Concentration: Biomedical Engineering and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
It's exciting how much goes on. There's always an interesting event or guest speaker, and my classes always get really involved. The groups I'm a part of have really helped me explore my interests, too.
Darius Johnson
Class of 2018
Pforzheimer House
Concentration: Philosophy
At Harvard, I've been able to try out a lot of different things I was always interested in but didn't ever expect I'd get to do. I've met really great people who've helped make my Harvard experience one where I grow and learn with them.
Shanelle Davis
Class of 2018
Currier House
Concentration: Mathematics
My favorite thing about Harvard is the people I have had the privilege to meet. Whether it be through classes, house life, or extra curricular activities, Harvard has enabled me to develop friendships with some of the most awe-inspiring and caring individuals. These friendships have been greatly influential in easing my transition to Harvard and for that I am truly grateful.
Edgar Garcia
Class of 2018
Eliot House
Concentration: Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Everyone talks about how many resources there are at Harvard, but first-generation students feel this the most. It changes how you view your education, and how you view your extra-curriculars. You finally have the chance to do just about anything regardless of your experience level. It's refreshing to no longer have to worry about being a burden to anyone else, because Harvard makes sure that you feel like you deserve it all.
