St. Paul First Gen Celebration
Date: Wed., 11/8
Time: 12–3 p.m.
What: Activities & Snacks
Where: Coffey Hall, Rm. 120
Dr. Jason K. Wallace
Date: Mon, 11/4
Time: 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
What: Keynote Speaker
Where: Zoom
Brandon Koch
My #UMNFirst Story
As a first-generation college student with parents and an older sibling who never even enrolled in college, flying halfway across the country to start a PhD program in Minnesota felt like a gamble. Whenever I tried to talk about graduate school with my family, I was met with puzzling looks and found it difficult to explain to them why I was going to be in school for at least another five years even though I had just graduated with my Bachelor’s degree.
Kathy Santamaria Mendez
My #UMNFirst Story
I was born in El Salvador to a Honduran-Salvadoran mother and Salvadoran father. After the devastations our country suffered after a civil war and various natural disasters, my parents decided to bring me along in their migration journey to the United States in 2001; I was only 2 years old. I grew up navigating two different worlds. As the oldest child, and as a female, I felt the added pressure of succeeding and being a role model. I grew up witnessing my parents work-hard, and I also witnessed their own struggles in navigating a new world.
Musab
My #UMNFirst Story
My parents have always instilled in me the value of education as a first generation immigrant. Despite not having the resources to tackle the challenges that my peers can navigate easily, I stayed determined to make something of myself. As one of the few black people in Carlson, I developed an imposter syndrome thinking that I did not belong to the Carlson business school because of my circumstance and social class. It took a semester and I-Core for me to truly fit in Carlson.