Stepping Into My College Girl Life as a First-Generation Student

Abriell Jordan (she/her) 
Nursing, Class of 2025

I define a first-generation college student as someone who is reaching out and seeking things like higher education that no one else in their family has. For me, personally, I think it means trying to help make your family proud and create a new legacy within your family. 

Being a first-generation student means a lot of the time you have to navigate things by yourself, because you don’t have someone in your corner that has been through it. We are really here to show the upcoming children in our families that anything can be done if you just put your mind to it. We’re here to show that no matter where you come from there’s always a way to get where you want. 

Navigating the college process was definitely difficult for me because my mom had no idea how college applications worked. So honestly a lot of it came from teachers at my high school. They stayed on top of me about applying to colleges and looking into taking tours. For things like standardized tests like the ACT and SAT they were proctored through my high school.

Honestly, my biggest challenge had to be the application process. I was really close with my academic advisor. He helped me log into my Capital account and showed me how to create my picture for my student ID. The FAFSA was very tricky because it was my mom’s first time completing it. The questions can be confusing, but we got it done just in time. The FAFSA is the form students and families need to complete in order to see if they qualify for any financial aid from the federal government for college tuition. Completely free, the FAFSA needs to be completed every year a student is in school. 

My biggest support system going into college or even deciding if I wanted to go to college was me. I always dreamed of going to college, but I never thought I would see the day come. My Aunt Lynn has been such a big motivator for me, and I really wanted to make her proud, to show her that people in our family can do great things.

When I first got my acceptance letter to Capital, I was so excited because it felt like the first real step to living my college girl life. I told everyone in the family! Capital was my first choice, so once I got the acceptance letter I could finally relax and stop obsessively checking the mail. My aunt was so proud and posted on Facebook, so then at that point everyone knew. 

I think my biggest concern about my first semester was being able to find people that look like me. When I first got on campus, I joined a program called Smooth Transitions and it really opened my eyes to how much diversity there is in the world. It went beyond just different skin color. I was able to meet people who were from big cities and small towns. At the time, I thought diversity, equity, and inclusion were things just for Black people, but I quickly learned that there are many more groups under the umbrella. 

Once the program ended, I was able to be more open to new people and spaces where there might not be anybody who looks like me. There were about 40 students in the program, so I already knew quite a few people as I started my first semester. Knowing people and feeling like campus was starting to feel like a second home felt really good when school started. 

As a first-generation college student, I was especially focused on career development. Capital does a great job at presenting student leadership opportunities that you might see in the real world. We have so many jobs on campus that help teach you how to exist and succeed in your chosen career path. With the resources available on campus to help you with your resume and interviews, it’s so easy to schedule career readiness help. 

As a nursing major, my dream career path is to start a program that would help people who couldn’t afford healthcare have access to the care they need. I want to be someone that can inspire others to go to college and give back their own communities. It’s so important!