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Category Stories: First Generation

  • 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

    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 leave a community you have become familiar with and go…

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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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  • Feeling Like a Freshman Abroad

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    Feeling Like a Freshman Abroad

    Feeling Like a Freshman Abroad Now studying abroad in the heart of London, I have realized how much the start of this new experience reminds me of my experience as a first-generation student at my home campus. Finding Your Way at Home Entering your home university for the first time as a first generation college…

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  • How One Student Budgeted for Groceries in Prague

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    How One Student Budgeted for Groceries in Prague

    My number one expense in Prague so far has been food. No matter how you slice, bargain, or spare, food expenses will be your greatest constant and it is worth learning how to better manage those costs. When we budget we often do so in terms of the prices of goods we’re used to; when…

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  • Redefining Study Abroad for First-Gen Ethnic Minorities

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    Redefining Study Abroad for First-Gen Ethnic Minorities

    As the airport’s sliding doors opened and I felt the chill breeze caress my exhausted, yet excited self after a nonstop 14 hour flight, I began to think about the once-in-a-lifetime journey that was ahead of me. While I was admiring the scenery and imagining all of the thrilling experiences I would soon encounter, I…

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