INFLUX Magazine Spring 2024

First Gen: Navigating<br />

Higher Education<br />

A first-generation student’s journey at UMN<br />

By Ryan Cardenas<br />

No matter how much praise<br />

Hannah Hanson received from<br />

loved ones for being the first<br />

person in her family to go to<br />

college, she admits that she wasn’t fully<br />

prepared for the experience. The financial<br />

struggles and expectations of being a full-time<br />

college student took her by surprise.<br />

With her time at the University of<br />

Minnesota winding down — and a job already<br />

lined up — the White Bear Lake native is<br />

looking back on what this accomplishment<br />

means for her and her family.<br />

“Being the first in my family to attend<br />

college has been both incredibly rewarding and<br />

challenging,” Hanson said. “While I receive<br />

a lot of praise from my parents and extended<br />

family, hearing words like ‘I can’t believe you<br />

did it!’ and ‘You’re going to be the first one in<br />

our whole family!’ is sweet, but it’s the unique<br />

challenges faced by first-generation students<br />

that resonate with me the most.”<br />

The positive reaction to receiving praise<br />

and affirmation is a given, but when Hanson<br />

opened up about the unique challenges she<br />

faced, one can see every emotion that a firstgeneration<br />

college student endures.<br />

When discussing the struggles she first<br />

faced, she mentioned the financial aspect.<br />

“One of the biggest challenges I faced<br />

was the lack of understanding surrounding<br />

finances, typical college paths and the purpose<br />

of a degree. For instance, my parents were<br />

unaware that students often live in off-<br />

“When I was accepted I literally thought<br />

it was a mistake in the system.”<br />

—HANNAH HANSON<br />

Hannah Hanson poses in front of the Northrop Mall<br />

at the University of Minnesota on March 15, <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

Photo by Kristina Minic<br />

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