For many university students, going to college is to step outside one’s comfort zone. For students who are the first in their family to attend a four-year college, it can be an especially large step.
Angie Kirby, a first-generation college graduate who grew up in Michigan and Scott County, Kentucky, and now works for the College of Public Health’s Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), believes first-gen students in particular are up for the challenge.
“Ambition and the willingness to go beyond and to get out of your comfort zone are special traits many first-gen students possess,” Angie said. “A lot of first-gen students do have to get out of their comfort zone and they have to move away from home and be exposed to the world.”
Angie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a minor in political science and her Master of Public Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. She joined KIPRC in early 2020 to perform a scan of Kentucky’s recovery housing landscape. She has had family members who have dealt with SUD, so the position resonated with her. Today, she is the substance use disorder Education and Outreach Coordinator at KIPRC and is responsible for maintaining FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org, the search tool for recovery houses with available openings.
One of the challenges many first-gen students might face is the contrast between parents who work physical jobs and their children who now work office jobs. While both of Angie’s parents had good jobs, her mom working production line and her dad a general manager of a logistics company, those jobs didn’t come without their struggles and physical demands.
“I do feel like families who have a history of members not going to college don’t understand how hard it can be,” Angie said. “Going from a blue color family with physical jobs to doing something that is not physical—they might not understand that it is still a hard job.”
Angie also believes that many first-gen students may struggle with financial literacy.
“When you start making more money, you might not have the best financial resources; you might struggle with that,” she said.
When asked what her advice would be to other first-generation students, Angie said, “Pick somewhere [to go to college] that will be out of your comfort zone and where you think you’ll be able to grow. Number one advice is go somewhere you don’t know anyone. It’s the best thing you can do. It exposes you to more and forces you to learn so much about yourself.”
First-gen students these days have many resources to draw on. Angie recommends that they research first-year experience programs and reach out to mental health counselors when needed. She also believes residence hall staff can be valuable. Students at UK also have the First-Generation Student Services office, which advocates for first-generation students within their colleges and collaborates with other student support units, to turn to for help and guidance.
