Linda Lopez, director of Financial Aid and Scholarships, shares her experience as a first-generation college student. She is joined by panelists (left to right) T. Fox, Brandon Torres, Mya De Guzman, Kayla Ramirez Sealie, and Cesar Gonzalez. Moderator and EOP counselor, Damien Mejia, sits on the far right.
As the first person in his family to go to college, one of Brandon Torres’ biggest fears was failing and letting them down. But his counselors, family, and friends supported and encouraged him.
“They told me that I could do it, that I shouldn’t be afraid to fail, that I keep trying no matter what. To this day, I keep trying and if I fall, I get back up. I feel like we should all have that mindset because we can do it,” said Torres, a Cal State LA freshman majoring in business administration with an option in human resources management.
Torres is among the nearly 60% of undergraduate students at Cal State LA who are the first in their family to attend college. He shared his experience during the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) National First-Generation College Celebration at Cal State LA on Tuesday, November 5.
In opening remarks, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Patrick Day shared his mother’s experience as a first-generation college student at Ohio State University. She struggled financially and it took time for her to learn how to navigate the university, but she ultimately succeeded.
“What that tells us is that you as our students and the students who are behind you are also going to be able to navigate this. But we’re going to have to work as an institution to figure out how do we bend our university to make sure that this is a place where any student, whether they’re first generation or not, feels like they can come, be successful, find resources and all the things that are necessary,” he said.
Members of the audience—a mix of students, staff, faculty, and EOP alumni—enjoyed light refreshments, viewed a video of EOP students sharing their experiences, and listened to a panel of first-generation staff and students. The panelists talked about coping with imposter syndrome, overcoming obstacles, how it felt when they were accepted by a college, and the support they have received from mentors.
In addition to Torres, the panel included T. Fox, director of student success and advising in the College of Business and Economics; Cesar Gonzalez, director of the Veterans Resource Center; Linda Lopez, director of Financial Aid and Scholarships; Kayla Ramirez Sealie, EOP recruitment specialist; and EOP student Mya De Guzman.
De Guzman, a senior at Cal State LA majoring in psychology, described the sense of relief that she felt after receiving college acceptance letters.
“As I kept getting acceptance letters my senior year [of high school], I just felt so proud of myself and relieved that I would be able to actually go and pursue my education, and make the rest of my family proud,” she said.
EOP hosted the event in recognition of National First-Generation College Celebration on November 8. This date marks the signing of the 1965 Higher Education Act by Present Lyndon B. Johnson, which established financial aid programs and made crucial investments in high education.