Leaving Home for Abroad as a First-Generation Student

One of the most significant ways that I have been preparing for study abroad has been by thinking of ways that I can support other individuals like me when I come back. Upon returning from my semester abroad, I will host an informational study abroad session with the First-Generation Low-Income (FGLI) Student Union (FSU) on my campus. As the lead organizer of FSU, I will advocate for having an event showing students not only my experiences, but also the many different routes of other FGLI students on campus, as other individuals on our board are studying abroad in Greece, South Africa, and Argentina.

I am choosing to reach the FGLI community because there is a lack of access to knowledge and resources available on what the studying abroad process looks like. Since FGLI students are the first in their families to attend college, they may not have as many contacts to discuss what it looks like to study abroad while in school. If they do know people who went to college, financial and/or familial constraints could have prevented studying abroad from being an option.

I want FGLI students to feel excited about the prospect of studying abroad. The essence of this project is to show them that they deserve this experience and are capable of thriving in new environments. The goal will be to increase awareness of study abroad, how to afford it, and the logistical planning involved.

To begin, we will introduce our individual programs and the biggest takeaways from our experiences. I will address the guilt that many FGLI students may feel about having the opportunity to study abroad while their families do not. I will also offer advice on how I navigated this during my program. These are vulnerable spaces, but FSU has intentionally built the organization to provide a comfortable experience for everyone.

Secondly, I will discuss how to make studying abroad affordable. At our college, financial aid is transferable to study abroad programs, which is often unknown to many students. I will partner with my financial aid advisor to organize reaching out to other students about finances. I will discuss funding, including the Gilman scholarship and other small donor scholarships, during this part of the presentation.

Lastly, I will advise on how to plan the logistical aspect of studying abroad. This includes items such as recommending when and how to book flights, converting currency, and adjusting to a new housing situation, among other tips.

Overall, I hope to make this a collaborative experience between other FSU board members and resources on my campus. I plan to continue to spread accurate information about studying abroad upon my re-entry. Since this is plenty of information, we will have this be a two-hour event in which people will be able to have dinner, leaving and coming when they choose. At this dinner, I plan to bring dishes that I have learned to make while being in Spain.

Being able to think about what I will do when I come back has made me feel less nervous about leaving. I am excited to embark on this journey and accomplish many things that no one in my family from a rural town in Mexico has ever done. Last night I had a conversation with my great-grandmother, who is an indigenous woman. She shared with me how much she would have loved to have had the opportunity to attend college, and I am now able to pursue my degree and study abroad. For her, "es algo que nunca me podia imaginar" (It was something I could have never imagined).