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In Their Own Words

Challenges of First-Gen Students

About This Project

This content was created by The Chronicle‘s editorial team, supported by a grant from The Teagle Foundation.

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.

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

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About the Author
Michael Theis is a photo and media editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Chronicle of Philanthropy.