First generation graduates make families proud
Roughly 30 percent of entering freshmen in the U.S. are first generation college students, according to a report by the National Center for Educational Statistics. In fall of 2008, Becky Skabelund was among them.
“Neither of my parents went to college – my dad has been a roofer all his life,” Skabelund said. “His father wasn’t supportive of the idea he should go to college. We’re LDS, so going on a mission and to college was too expensive.”
Skabelund’s mother attended a beauty school in Montana, but never attended college in Utah. She said even though neither of her parents attended college, her future at a college was never really an option.
“My mother expects the best of her children, like she expected us to always have good grades,” she said. “If we got B’s and C’s in high school she’d be upset with us.”
Adison Griffith, sophomore in special education, said she always knew she was going to college because she made sure college was always an option for herself.
“It was just something that I required myself to do to get anywhere in life,” Griffith said. “Plus, I have to get a degree to do what I want.”
First generation students usually have similar background characteristics, such as race, income and academic preparedness. A 2005 National Center for Educational Statistics study suggested first generation college students were more likely to delay post-secondary entry, begin at a 2-year institution and attend part time and discontinuously.
Skabelund, however, attended continuously and finished her degree in three-and-a-half years. She said the only times she thought she might not want to go to college was when school was difficult, but she had a good support system from home.
“My dad was really excited when I graduated,” she said. “He always told me to do whatever I want, what I like. He’s got a job he’s good at, but it’s not something he really likes.”
A first generation college student at USU has the same application as any other student, except for a single box: “Are you a first generation college student? Yes or No? Check ‘Yes’ if neither of your parents received a bachelor’s degree before you were 18 years old.”
Griffith’s dad did not receive a bachelor’s degree before she was 18, but he’s enrolled in college now, and she said she’s happy he’s taking the opportunity.
“Although he won’t get the experience that I will, he is really happy to go back to school again,” Griffith said. “It will be a great thing when it comes to his career he is working toward.”
Every student from age 18 to 88 applies the same way and
for some the process can be frustrating, but Skabelund said when she applied, it wasn’t really difficult. She did all of the same things to prepare for college as everyone else, and even though she didn’t have lots of attention from counselors, she had a role model – her brother.
“He was a freshman when I was a senior in high school so that was helpful,” she said. “He went on an LDS mission, so even though he started before I did, I graduated first.”
Neither Skabelund nor Griffith received a scholarship for being a first generation student, but both have paid for college partly through loans. Skabelund said she received a 2-year scholarship from Utah State and received money from her parents because of her grades.
“The first two years I got $1,000 each semester, because I got good grades,” she said. “But the last while I had to take student loans.”
Griffith is attending college completely on student loans, but says education is worth it.
“I need to go to college in order to do something real with my life and what I want to do,” she said.
Having a college education has influenced how Skabelund looks at the world, and she can see the difference in how she and her father look at the world.
“I do notice a huge difference between how I think and how my dad thinks,” she said. “You don’t only learn about your major, college teaches you to think about the world, be a critical thinker and helped me to be a better person. I’m more open minded.”
Skabelund is currently living and working in Logan and said life isn’t much different now than it was when she was in college, except now she’s a professional.
“I still feel like a student,” she said. “Most of my friends are still in college, and I was up on campus last weekend for the music festival.”
– april.ashland@aggiemail.usu.edu