Persistence and graduation: first-generation low-socioeconomic status students crossing the finish line.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20213667

Shared experiences of academically successful first-generation, low-socioeconomic college students were examined using narrative inquiry. All participants were single females. All participants attended college immediately after high school but dropped out. They all returned and became the first in their family to complete a college degree. One was traditional age while all other study participants were single mothers over the age of thirty with two or more children. Participants self-identified as White, Asian-American and Haitian-American. The study uncovered that support from family, financially or emotionally, was mostly non-existent. However, all participants wanted the ability to offer their children the educational opportunities their parents were unable to provide them. The findings validated the importance of social programs, from childcare vouchers to tuition free classes, for the participants. Additionally, all participants intentionally and creatively balanced time and resources to manage childcare and to provide time for work. Implementing a program into the public school curriculum, as early as elementary school, that exposes students to college life may lay the foundation for conversations regarding college academic expectations. Providing information regarding federal, state and local social programs conveys awareness to students on where to look for assistance beyond the institution.