Future Grads: A Frist-Generation Experience
By Gissell Valencia
As a high school senior there are many questions about the future you begin to ask yourself. The biggest one of them being, what’s next? When I started my senior year, I thought that there was no way I was going to be admitted to a 4-year university. My grades had significantly dropped my sophomore and junior year to where my GPA was just above a 2.5. My future at a 4-year did not look very bright.
However, at the end of freshman year, I made the decision to join a brand-new program called Future Grads. Future Grads had been described as a college readiness program who supports first generation college students in their journey to college and through college. The summer before my sophomore year, I attended a week-long Summer Academy where I learned about the value of a college education, college requirements, financial aid, and much more. After the week was over, I knew that college was more obtainable than I originally thought.
After Summer Academy was over, we were placed into “crews.” These crews were made up of 5 or 6 students who attended the same high school and will become our peer support. In my crew, I was chosen to become the crew leader. This leadership role meant that I had to attend a few additional meetings where I was given additional guidance on the ways to support my peers and make sure we were all being held accountable with our academics and the program.
Although I spent most of my high school career highly involved in Future Grads, my grades were actively dropping due to multiple health issues. As my grades dropped, so did my hopes of attending a 4-year. Future Grads offered more than just academic support, though.
The most valuable thing that Future Grad provided me was the relationship I formed with all the staff. They provided guidance beyond academics. I was a first-gen student, completely lost in what I needed to accomplish a post-secondary education. They presented me with options and walked me through all of them.
As my senior year rolled around, prepping for college applications was a dauntless and exhausting task. At the end of the process, I applied to 5 universities, and I was accepted into 4. Ultimately, I committed to Sonoma State University and Future Grads followed.
I started my first year at SSU as sophomore standing due to receiving a 5 in my Spanish AP Exam and taking a few college classes prior to starting. Alongside Jaime, a Future Grads staff member, I diligently planned out every single one of my breaks to take at least one class at a community college. A little more than halfway through my freshman year, though, COVID-19 would force me out of my dorm and back into my parents’ home and everything would be moved online.
COVID changed the way I viewed education. I found that I thrived in the remote environment where things were done at my own pace. I took advantage of accessing everything from one place, my computer. In Winter of 2020, I enrolled in multiple classes at a community college close by and at the same time enrolled in two classes at SSU. Jaime and Cynthia, another Future Grad staff that I had quarterly check-ins with, continued to support me as I navigated the college system. Ultimately, I graduated from SSU in December 2021, 2.5 years after graduating from high school, with a bachelor’s degree in communications and media Studies with Cum Laude honors and a minor in Film. I was also completely debt-free.
As I reflect on my time with Future Grads, the support system I found was the biggest blessing in disguise. Every time I felt lost or confused someone was there to help me through it. They gave me guidance on important decisions and cheered me on in all my successes. Future Grads gave me the tools and knowledge to navigate in unknown water and come out succeeding.