First Generation College Student
By: Julissa Garcia / Alpha Media Lubbock
As my time at Texas Tech University is coming to an end, I am very grateful for every class, professor, opportunity, and experience that Tech has given me, especially as a first generation student. I am so fortunate to say that I am the first person in my family to graduate from a 4-year university, which is something that means the world to me and my family.
My parents have sacrificed so much for me to be able to have the opportunity to attend college and have always taught me that life is not easy, but hard work can make anything possible. I have put in a lot of hours with all of my high school dual credit hours and all of the journalism classes that I have been in at Tech to really strive to be the best possible version of myself in school. I take my education very seriously because my parents never had the opportunity to get a higher education, so I pride myself in getting good grades. I am proud to say that I will be graduating Summa Cum Laude with a current GPA of 3.922.
I will graduate on May 11 through the College of Media and Communications with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in journalism with a media strategies minor, athletic coaching minor, and a concentration in sports media. I have been dreaming of the day that I will get to walk across the stage in my cap and gown and I cannot believe that in just a few months I will make my dream and my parents’ dream come true.
Being a first generation student means that I have never given up when things get challenging because graduating means everything. I have accomplished all my classes from anatomy to broadcast journalism and advanced reporting, perseverance and determination have always been with me. From all the homework and late night studying, everything I have experienced in my 4 years at Texas Tech is about to come to a bittersweet but exciting moment for me, as I walk across the stage in May and receive my diploma as a first generation student.
