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Category Stories: First Generation

  • How to Pack for Summer Study Abroad in London

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    How to Pack for Summer Study Abroad in London

    Ever since I started college, I’ve dreamed of studying abroad. With just a couple of semesters left, it was now or never. When I applied and got accepted into the London School of Economics for a summer program, I was overwhelmed with excitement. I had four months to prepare for an experience I would forever…

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  • Exploring My Mexican Identity in Mexico

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    Exploring My Mexican Identity in Mexico

    I am the child of immigrants and a first-generation student. My parents moved to the United States from México before I was born. They wanted me to live where I would have opportunities they didn’t have growing up, to get a better education and live a better life. My mother believed in my future, so she…

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  • Four Ways to Make Study Abroad Happen on a Budget

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    Four Ways to Make Study Abroad Happen on a Budget

    As a low-income student, I didn’t think study abroad would be an option for me, but with encouragement from my study abroad advisor, I applied to a few programs. When I was accepted to the IFSA London program at King’s College, I was hesitant, knowing I couldn’t afford London prices for five months.   Thankfully, with…

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  • How Pride and Community Empowered Me While Abroad in Rome

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    How Pride and Community Empowered Me While Abroad in Rome

    Being a part of minoritized communities while abroad may seem intimidating and scary, but my experiences with identity helped me through my first time in a foreign country. I am intersectional – there is not one identity that solely describes who I am. I am a First-Generation college student, I am queer, I am Asian…

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  • Are You Worried About Studying Abroad as a First-Gen Student?

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    Are You Worried About Studying Abroad as a First-Gen Student?

    Being a first-generation college student means creating open opportunities for yourself. It means having to navigate uncharted territories and becoming familiar with the unknown. As a first-generation college student, I am committed to not limiting myself in the possibilities to explore the world, expand my horizons, and take advantage of the opportunities provided to me.…

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  • The First of Firsts

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    The First of Firsts

    Going abroad, in general, can be scary and challenging, however, I didn’t realize my experience would be so different compared to others. I am a First-Generation college student, the first to join Greek life, the first to join clubs/organizations, and the first to ever leave the United States. Because I was having so many firsts…

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  • How to Make Study Abroad Possible

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    How to Make Study Abroad Possible

    How to Make Study Abroad Possible I understand really well what it means to have to constantly worry about having enough money to support myself. As a low-income student and having to work part-time job in college to subsidize my study expenses, I used to long to study in another country, but I always dismissed…

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  • Putting the “Study” in Study Abroad

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    Putting the “Study” in Study Abroad

    Putting the “Study” in Study Abroad When participating in a Study Abroad program, the “studying” aspect of the experience can sometimes take a back seat to everything else there is to do while living in a foreign country, to the detriment of your academic performance. Especially in the first month, there seems to be a…

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  • How to Navigate Study Abroad as an International Cambodian Student

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    How to Navigate Study Abroad as an International Cambodian Student

    How I Navigate Study Abroad as An International Cambodian Student Why I Go Abroad? Despite the cancellation of my previous program and the fact that I am in the middle of a pandemic, I did not give up on study abroad. I got asked “why Ireland? Why study abroad when you are already abroad? Why…

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  • Abroad from Abroad

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    Abroad from Abroad

    Studying in the United States and Scotland as a First-Generation Student Attending college in the U.S. as a first-generation, international student shaped me. I found who I am, what I represent, and what my purpose is. However, having to contend with the expectations I had imposed on myself as a freshman was the greatest challenge…

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