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Abstract: My name is Rachel; I grew up in San Francisco and then later moved to San Ramon. My older brothers are fourth generation plumbers but I am the first to attend college. To me, being a first generation student means to be student who is the first in their family to attend college in the United States. It’s hard to be a first generation college student because I was not familiar with the college process and it’s a big adjustment from high school to college. Also my younger cousins look up to me so I have be a good role model and show them if I can do it, so can they and to never give up. My family has been very supportive about me attending college because they want the best for me.
Throughout my years at California High my teacher, Ms. Bonagura, inspired me to do better and challenged me every time to succeed. My counselor at school always called me in to talk about college and where I wanted to go. I thought I would just be going to a community college but Ms. Bonagura told me I could do better. Ms. Bonagura is a mentor to me because of the guidance and advice she had given me in high school. Working and going through my college application process, I accomplished a lot during my senior year.
Now I’m a freshman attending Saint Mary’s College and majoring in Accounting. Unfortunately I’m not like every other student going to Saint Mary’s because I’m a commuter student. Being a commuter student during my freshmen year is hard because you already don’t know what college is like, there’s more homework than high school, and it’s hard meeting people. My first semester in college was a big challenge for me because I had to be proactive, thinking ahead. I had to think about how long it will take me to get to school, would I hit traffic, and would I be able to find parking. Also I would have to remember to bring all my materials with me because its not like I could run back to my room and get it. With every challenge that has been thrown at me and that I have faced I have worked through it with my family and support from teachers.
Keywords: family, commuting, succeeding, mentor, support and challenges
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