Episode 72: Rural First Gens

Wellbeing

Jan 8

Written By HTC

In this episode, Cody sits down with three first gens to talk about their experiences as first generation college students who grew up in rural communities.

There can oftentimes be many challenges that rural first generation students face in their community and educational settings. Some communities or schools lack resources or financial capital, some struggle with access to basic needs such as housing, transportation, healthcare, etc. and some are not located near many colleges or universities making it a challenge for their students to explore those schools and visa versa. In this episode, you’ll hear from three first generation students who grew in smaller, rural communities who all have ties to the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago has made it's mission to work to support first gen students from rural communities and you’ll learn about their work in this episode.

In this episode you will hear from:

Juan, a current high school Senior, who has lived and grown up in a small, environmentally-focused town in Idaho. Juan’s parents set high expectations for him academically as a child, including going to college and in his town, he was able to be challenged academically to help prepare him for college. Juan is currently going through the college process and reflects on his college exploration journey, misconceptions about first gens in rural areas and colleges, as well as his unique summer experience with the University of Chicago.
Tomie, a current college student at the University of Chicago studying Public Policy and Economics, who grew up in a farming community in rural Indiana. Tomie’s hometown was steeped in the agriculture and manufacturing industries and his school offered limited numbers of AP courses and only just recently offered dual credit. Tomie is passionate about rural student access to an education and took part in a rural student support group at the University of Chicago. He was also his high school’s first Questbridge scholar.
Ken, a first generation college graduate, who works in Higher Ed Administration at the University of Chicago. Ken also has interests in research, policy and advocacy of the arts and a background of comparative human development. Ken grew up in a small town outside of a more populated area in Massachusetts.

Thanks again to today’s guests - Juan, Tomie, and Ken, for sharing their stories and experiences with our audience. And thank you for tuning in to How to College for first-gens! After listening to our distinguished guests, you can see that there are many shared but also unique experiences for rural first gens. Oftentimes students may struggle with believing that college is the right place for them or that they are prepared for college. They may also struggle with confidence or direction by growing up in a community that sometimes lacks a college going culture. And lastly, they may have to get creative when it comes to college planning if they choose to leave their ‘bubble’ for college. With all of that said, it is important for rural first gens to know that you are capable, you are worthy and you will go to college if that is your goal and there are so many resources out there to help you.

Thank you to our partners for this episode, the University of Chicago, and all the work they do to support and empower rural first generation college students. We encourage rural first gens to check out the work they are doing via the UChicago Empower and Emerging Rural Leaders programs. Those links are listed below.

Below are some resources as well: