In Their Own Words: Challenges of First-Gen Students

About This Video

This video is part of a yearlong Chronicle visual series that highlights the challenges facing first-generation students and others. The series is part of the Different Voices of Student Success project, which is supported by the Ascendium Education Group.

The video was shot and edited by the photo and media editor Michael Theis. The senior web producer Carmen Mendoza shot video and assisted in the production. The editorial-events coordinator Luna Laliberte coordinated interviews. The senior photo and media editor Erica Lusk directed the project.

The path to and through college has twists and turns for first-generation students. The Chronicle interviewed two such students who are dealing with challenges as they pursue degrees at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Antonio Holmes, an Army veteran from Baltimore, had considered becoming a paramedic. The death of his father from cancer prompted Holmes to change course and pursue a degree as a cancer biologist.

Victoria Joya Euceda learned during her first year in college that her father had been deported. His loss forced her to come to terms with being a first-generation Latina. She’s finding her way forward as a geography and environmental-systems major with the support of faculty members and alumni.