As first-generation college students, we are a source of pride. We carry the history of familial and community expectations, and a sense of hope for academic success. COVID has added weight to the load we carry in the form of technology and resource deficits, which are further pronounced by the demands of virtual learning. We are without ready access to campus facilities and isolated spaces to study. The anticipated academic experiences and social interactions we longed for are disrupted, stunting our ability to cultivate friendships, networks, and engage in social events. Our families are providing emotional support, but this is uncharted territory for them. We are emotionally taxed by the pressures of being students, and the complexities of navigating college: learning the required course workload and the collegiate academic expectations and policies. We are in dire need of support and are respectfully requesting grace and understanding about what is expected of us, as well as asking for mental health resources for those who are suffering from the lack of control they have over their academic experience, personal circumstances, and the tumultuous state of the world. We hope by sharing our stories we might heighten awareness to the pressing issues first-generation students are confronting, and what society must consider to thoughtfully foster the development of our next generation of leaders.
Montaze Cooper, junior at Coppin State University
“Serving as Mister Junior at Coppin State and majoring in Business Management during the pandemic has been incredibly difficult for me. I had everything planned out on how I wanted this year to go. I wanted to connect with the faculty and staff members in my department and planned an HBCU tour to speak to youth in Baltimore about overcoming obstacles and personal development. But now that all my classes are virtual, the time of faculty and staff members are limited, there are no social events to look forward to, and I have a limited opportunity to be on campus. I am learning how to use technology and social media to my advantage. Though I must adapt to my conditions, I am devastated knowing I will not be able to travel, build personal connections with my professors, and engage with young people the way I wanted to. Right now, I am prioritizing learning, finding some way to appreciate life as we know it and waiting for doors to open in the future.”
Taylor-Simone Johnson, freshman at University of Maryland-College Park
“My mother raised three children by herself, which was difficult for her to focus on her work while also monitoring our school performance. She instilled in us the importance of academic achievement and higher education, so I prioritized my schoolwork to not disappoint her. Understanding the expensiveness of college for a lower-middle class family, I knew that the only option I had was to excel and receive scholarships to pay for my education. Though staying motivated felt difficult at times, I prevailed. However, with the transition to online learning, it has proved so far to be more troublesome. I was excited about my freshman year experience, but this new reality presents more stress than I expected. Although I have the emotional support of my two older siblings who are college graduates, they never had to experience navigating college virtually in the middle of a pandemic. It feels very lonely and incredibly frustrating trying to manage classes when there are so many communication barriers between professors and students. My classes vary from synchronous to asynchronous and assignments are more likely to be missed or overlooked because of the lack of clarity about the objectives of the class and when assignments are due. I have been vigilant about communicating in group chats on GroupMe and Canvas with fellow students and my professors, and it has been very helpful. But they only help but so much. My biggest fear as a freshman is that my current problems with online learning will hinder my overall college performance.
“All I ask is that students are given grace. The pandemic is already stressful as is and with the confusion that virtual learning is creating for students, it increases our stress immensely.”
Colleges and universities must identify ways to support students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college. This was written in partnership with Ms. Bryan, Mr. Cooper, Ms. Johnson, and the Johns Hopkins COVID Anchor Strategy Team administered through the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System Office of Economic Development.