At Sussex Central High School in southern Delaware, Johnny Perez-Gonzalez was a star — in a graduating class of more than 320, he ranked 24. But, when it came time to navigate the morass that is the college application process, he felt lost and alone. The son of Guatemalan immigrants, his parents had limited English language ability and no experience deciphering the American system of higher education. In other words, he said, “I was on my own.”
Fortunately, with a whole lot of grit,
Perez-Gonzalez successfully negotiated this bureaucracy, and he secured
the funding necessary to enroll at his top choice, the University of
Delaware. But the struggle did not end there. Because Perez-Gonzalez had
no one at home to prepare him for the vagaries of the university
ecosystem or coach him on appropriate study strategies, he floundered.
His first semester, he flunked each and every one of his midterms.
“I had never in my life failed an exam, so these low scores were
definitely upsetting,” he said. “I instantly called my mom and told her:
‘I don’t think college is for me. You have to come pick me up’.”
This is a story familiar to many first-generation students — aka,
those aiming to become the first in their families to graduate college.
None can rely on the institutional knowledge of parents or grandparents
who've navigated this system before. And, for students of color or for
those from low-income households, the systemic barriers are compounded.
So, when students like Perez-Gonzalez push through these barriers and
succeed — his mother convinced him not to give up, and he is now a
senior at UD and a dean’s list regular — this is reason to celebrate.
At colleges around the country, this celebration takes place annually on National First Generation Student Day,
set this year for Monday, Nov. 8. On UD’s campus — where 2,684
undergraduates as well as University President Dennis Assanis, Provost
Robin Morgan and Executive Vice president and Chief Operating Officer
John Long identify as first generation — Blue Hens from this community
will be treated to a 12 p.m. luncheon in the Rodney Room at Perkins
Student Center, complete with free giveaways and a raffle for Amazon
gift cards and cap-and-gown packages. Additionally, custom-made Zoom
backgrounds for use by all members of the campus community have been
created in honor of the celebration.