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My senior year of high school, when I asked my dad what his gross income was, he plopped a four-inch-thick tax binder on the table. I was trying to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, and the websites looked like word salad.����

Adjusted income? Gross income? Dependent versus independent? The one thing I know about being independent is that I have to be. As a first-generation student, it just comes with the experience.����

My story as a first-gen student��

A first-generation student, or first-gen for short, is someone who is the first one in their family to go to college. My parents are originally from outside of the U.S., where the towns are small, the roads are dirt, and it's no guarantee that you will have plumbing.����

My story is not uncommon: About 23% of first-gen students have parents who were born outside of the U.S., according to a recent survey conducted by the .����

Having parents unfamiliar with the education system impacts you beyond the college application process. They don’t know what to do on move-in day or that you have to fill out financial aid forms every year. In general, parents don’t understand the ins and outs of college life.����

But they do everything in their power to cheer you on. They made the ultimate sacrifice in their youth so that you can live yours; so that you can receive an education they didn’t have the opportunity to pursue. My parents support me in every way they can, even if they can’t provide "traditional" advice. My dad eventually came around and did his best to find the numbers I was looking for in that tax binder.����

Imposter syndrome and first-gen ����ֱ�� success stories����

Writing this story taught me there are more of us first-gen students at ����ֱ�� than I thought. About nationwide, and the number is likely to grow.��

Luckily, ����ֱ�� has multiple programs that help first-generation students and their families adjust to university life, including and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences' . Both programs do an amazing job of providing resources and support for first-generation students like myself, Yohana Liben, and Achisa Panichakul.����

Yohana Liben is a second-year majoring in business analytics and minoring in accounting within Daniels College of Business. Liben is also a spiritual life student representative in Undergraduate Student Government, president of the , an officer within , and involved in the .����

Liben’s story is one I’ve found amongst first-gen students: We often feel like we have to prove ourselves and that we deserve our spot at a university. I'm a co-chair of the , vice president of the , work three campus jobs, and am currently studying for the LSAT.��

I’m not doing these activities, student jobs, and a double major because I feel like I have to but because I know I might not have the same opportunities as some of my peers. They might come from families who have more connections due to their educational experience. I might have to put in some additional time to make up for that gap.��

Some of these feelings are tied to the phenomena of imposter syndrome—a feeling of not belonging despite knowing that you earned this spot just as much as anyone else.����

The best way to illustrate this feeling is to talk about the physical aspect of it. That pit in your stomach that deepens or the sensation of panic that forms in your brain and eventually makes its way into every limb of your body because you’re terrified of people figuring out you are a "fraud." For me, this would manifest into some mental health issues, too. Imposter syndrome is something I struggled with frequently for my first two years at ����ֱ�� and continue to work on.����

Creating a family at ����ֱ����

I am not alone with imposter syndrome roadblock. demonstrate that first-gens are more likely to experience depression and additional mental health challenges. This just goes to show how important programs like First@����ֱ�� and the CAHSS First-Generation Program are for creating a sense of belonging that is so often missing from our lives as first-gens.����

“[First@����ֱ��] is like a family to me because I know that I'm not alone in the process and that everybody has gotten their own experiences being a first-gen,” says Panichakul, a third-year student studying biological science and psychology on a pre-med track.��

Panichakul is also involved in and serves as the current treasurer for the . She is currently conducting research and is applying to medical schools in combination with her academics and extracurriculars, once again showing the drive that first-gens have.��

A message to fellow first-gen students��

First-gen excellence is here to stay, no matter what we are working on navigating. With the help of our first-gen community, ����ֱ��, friends, and anyone in between, we will keep overachieving, making our parents proud, and above all else, making ourselves proud.����

To any first-gen reading this, I hope you know that you have support all around, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment, and the feelings of isolation or not being good enough are strong. Trust me, it gets better, manageable, and even fun! You are capable of so much and absolutely belong here at ����ֱ��. Reach out to First@����ֱ��, the CAHSS First Generation Program, or even just those around you.����

“Take the chance when you can,”��says Panichakul. “Take the opportunity when you're offered it.”����