In this episode, you'll hear from Nghĩa "Justin" Bùi, a 13th Year Promise Scholar and a recent first-generation college graduate from South Seattle College where he majored in Welding. Because of his low grades in high school, Justin didn't feel ready to go to college. He worked a full-time job for a year to provide for his family. His mom's comment, "So you're not going to school, huh?" and his aunt who has always been "there to support me in what I want to do" motivated him to pursue higher education. He experimented with the Welding program at his college, and he loved it! Justin shares how he was required to take English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, despite his fluency in English and Vietnamese. However, the continued support from his professors and friends kept him going. Welding can be dangerous, and it's like "learning how to write for the first time." But that didn't stop Justin, who only became better with practice. He even helped out those new in this field. During his college journey, he was also recognized on the Dean's List. His dream job is to work as a journeyman (a certified apprentice) like his professor. His home is in the presence of his family, whether it's in the hot weather of Arizona or in the ice-covered Antarctica. 

Additional resources: 

13th Year Promise Scholarship: https://southseattle.edu/seattle-promise

Welding Fabrication Technology: https://southseattle.edu/programs/welding

In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Kimberly Harden, Founder and CEO of Harden Consulting Group, who gives us a sneak peek into her entrepreneurial journey. She is a diversity, equity, and belonging consultant, a profession partly inspired through her experience navigating corporate jobs as the only female and person of color. She has worked on diversity and equity initiatives in different capacities for over 15 years and believes that communication is really important "because you have to communicate in order to really build your team and to have an inclusive team." The core values of her business are care and transformation. Dr. Harden has recently launched a new training program that guides organizations through five distinct steps to implement and evaluate change. She is as resilient as a silicone spatula, and success for her looks like a person or an organization that has completely turned their life around and is now growing and thriving. Her current self-care practice includes napping, but most importantly "doing nothing and being okay with it." Her advice for college graduates who want to be entrepreneurs is to choose something you're passionate about and to forge your own path. 

Additional resources:

Contact Dr. Kimberly Harden: [email protected]

Harden Consulting Group: https://www.hardenconsultinggroup.com/

In this episode, you'll hear from Elizabeth (Liz) Vargas, a first-generation college student, an Alfie Scholar, and a Social Work major at Seattle University. She was born and raised in Aguascalientes, a city in Central Mexico and grew up with four other siblings. Most kids in her neighborhood dropped out of high school due to the high cost of education and lack of transportation. She feels lucky to come to the U.S. and recalls how she was particularly drawn to the Hollywood image of bigger classrooms and more books unlike the "tiny section in the corner of probably 10 or 20 books, and they were all so worn out." One of the biggest challenges she initially faced in the U.S. was the language barrier and how to navigate the ignorant comments that she'd received from her professors about her identity. In 2018, she received her associate's degree from Highline College and chose to come to Seattle University because she "fell in love" with the small campus community and the one-on-one connection with her professors. She hopes to use her Spanish-speaking skills to encourage young children to go to college.  

Additional resources:

2019 La Unidad Latina Foundation Scholarship: https://www.lulf.org/

In this episode, you'll hear from our favorite co-host and dear friend Chhavi, an international student from India who is the first in her family to study in the U.S. As a woman growing up in a society rooted in patriarchal values, Chhavi decided to major in journalism to find her voice and to help elevate the voices of marginalized communities. As a first-generation college student at Seattle University, she initially struggled to find her community and found that students from a community college background are often stigmatized. Additionally, Chhavi shares some of the negative perceptions around her identity, including the difficulty in pronouncing her name. However, her family has been her biggest motivation to pursue college education, and she credits the Alfie Scholars Programs and the Department of Communication for guiding her through her college journey. What does home mean for Chhavi? It's being in the presence of her family and drinking chai. She is actively working to dismantle the stereotypes associated with Indian nationals and international students.

Additional resources:

India Association of Western Washington: https://iaww.org/

Asha for Education, Seattle Chapter: https://seattle.ashanet.org/

In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Eve Hudson, The First-Gen Lounge podcast host, author, and motivational speaker, born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. Growing up in a state with the most HBCUs, she was encouraged to attend Shaw University, the first HBCU in the Southern U.S. because she felt a connection there. However, she experienced culture shock once she went to a predominantly white institution and realized "Oh, I'm different," and that environment challenged her to think critically about her identity. As a first-generation college graduate, she shares how she mostly relied on public assistance, didn't know who she could talk to about college, and often couldn't go home to see her family due to a lot of responsibilities. Dr. Hudson's biggest motivators to pursue college education were her grandfather and high school guidance counselors. In her experience working with first-gen students, she has found that shame, unworthiness, and lack of resources were some of the common challenges that first-gen students face. Some of the initiatives that she'd like to see implemented on college campuses include intentional affordable housing and ally spaces with first-gen faculty and staff, as well as socials and first-gen mentors in the corporate spaces. Through her podcast, she helps empower, inspire, and uplift first-generation students and budding professionals. 

Additional resources:

The First-Gen Lounge: https://www.thefirstgenlounge.com/

Empowering First-Generation College Students Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551187661810146/

In this episode, you'll hear from Yahya Gahbiche, an international student from Tunisia who chose to come to the U.S. "because it was hard" and because his father motivated him. He is a senior and a first-generation college student majoring in Business Analytics at Seattle University. Yahya comes from a diverse cultural background and speaks five different languages. He shares how back in Tunisia, he'd take 12-13 classes every quarter. The course was much more rigorous and heavily focused on memorization, thus lacking a critical thinking piece central to the U.S. education system. He decided to enroll at Seattle University for many reasons, such as the program of study, location, scholarships, smaller class sizes, and recommendations from his friends. Some of the challenges that Yahya initially faced on campus were: the inability to attend late-night events as a commuter student, the high cost of living, and the lack of community. However, the International Student Center quickly became his second home. What reminds him of home? Taking part in religious occasions and listening to music close to his culture.  

Additional resources:

Seattle University International Students Association (SUISA): https://seattleu.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/seattle-university-international-students-association

Interesting facts about Tunisia: http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-tunisia/ 

In this episode, you'll hear from our beloved co-host and friend J. Anthony. Although born and raised in Guam, J. Anthony moved to the U.S. when he was six years old. He also moved around a bunch from the Bay Area to Las Vegas to finally Seattle "to venture out on my own."  He is a senior majoring in journalism at Seattle University who inherited family and friendship-oriented values central to the Chamorro culture. His mom and dad were his biggest motivational factors to pursue a college education, and he feels blessed to have a supportive family who wanted the younger generation to reach "a monumental moment and succeed." As a first-generation college student, success for him looks like to graduate and to leave an impact wherever he goes. Some of his fears and concerns about college were filling out different forms, curriculum and course lectures,  and lack of representation of people who look like him in classrooms. J. Anthony's favorite genres of music are rap, r&b, and soul, and can listen to The Temptations for hours. 

Additional resources:

Asians & Pacific Islanders for Equity & Critical Engagement: https://seattleu.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/asians-pacific-islanders-for-equity-critical-engagement

Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF): https://aclfnorthwest.wordpress.com/

In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Kimberly Harden, a professor of Communication Studies at Seattle University. She is a first-generation college student and the first in her family to earn a Ph.D. She reflects on how she "kicked it a bit too much" for a while but ultimately became an educator "by accident," now teaching in the University's Department of Communication. In her experience working with first-generation college students, especially students of color, she has found that schools don't adequately prepare students for college, especially in the form of resources and the college environment. Some of the policies and initiatives that she'd like to see implemented on our campus to support these students include a working definition of what "diversity" means and to ensure that diversity of student body is reflected in the leadership and curriculum. 

Additional resources: 

Learn more about Dr. Harden here: https://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/departments/communication/faculty-and-staff/kimberly-harden-edd.html

In this episode, you'll hear from Samantha (Sam) Penjaraenwatana, a graduate student at Seattle University. She was born in Los Angeles, California, lived in Thailand for a few years, and then moved back to California. But "I call Washington my home." She shares her experience growing up in a family-centered environment. As a first-generation college student, some of her biggest fears about college were finances, the application process, as well as how to balance the family obligations. Moreover, one of the biggest challenges that she has faced on campus is finding her community. Sam currently serves as a Graduate Coordinator at the University's Outreach Center where her work is focused on first-gen initiatives. 

Additional resources:

The Outreach Center: https://www.seattleu.edu/student-outreach/resource-spaces/outreach-center/

In this episode, you'll hear from the show co-host Teddy Vo, an international student from Vietnam majoring in journalism at Seattle University. He comes from a family of lawyers but draws on his interest in writing about unheard voices. He shares how the "first type of shock was the weather shock," and has been in the U.S. for five years now. As a first-generation college student, Teddy shares some of the fears and concerns he had before coming to college, ranging from the type of environment to family expectations. He is also a BIG soccer fan and loves beer. 

Additional resources:

International Student Center: https://www.seattleu.edu/isc/

Vietnamese Student Association: Log in to ConnectSU