How First-Generation Students Navigate Higher Education through An Embrace of Their Multiple Identities by Asese Aihiokhai, SimonMary; Daily, Matt; Garrigues, Layla;

Short description:

This book explores how first-generation college students navigate the culture of higher education and argues that institutions should factor the experiences of first-generation students into the process of revitalizing their mission. This resource will appeal to scholars, researchers, and upper-level students interested in higher education.

Long description:

This book explores how first-generation college students negotiate the culture of higher education through an embrace of their multiple identities. Featuring contributors with multiple experiences and identities, this volume attempts to shed light on the creative approaches first-generation students use to succeed in college as well as help broaden the vision of the institutions they choose to call their intellectual home. In doing so, this text argues that higher education institutions can and should factor the experiences and insights of first-generation students into the ongoing process of revitalizing their mission. This resource will appeal to scholars, researchers, and upper-level students with interests in higher education, cultural studies, philosophy of education, decolonial studies, and social mobility.

"This timely anthology demonstrates an inspiring shared commitment, from scholar-practitioners nationwide, to increase access and opportunity for first-generation college students. Their critical reflections and policy-focused insights carry forward a collective struggle to better support those who are the first in their families to realize the full potential of higher education, and to make sure they are not the last." 

 Dr. Tara J. Yosso, first generation college student, Professor, University of California, Riverside, author Critical Race Counterstories along the Chicana/Chicano Educational Pipeline, Routledge; author/designer of Community Cultural Wealth framework.

“This book is essential for all educators seeking a humanized, holistic, relationship-centered approach to validating first-generation students and facilitating their academic success. Ultimately, the redesign of higher education will benefit immensely from this book grounded in an asset-based perspective in contemporary research, as well as the authentic lived experiences of first-generation students.”

Laura I. Rendón, Professor Emerita, University of Texas-San Antonio and author of Sentipensante Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation; author/designer of student validation theory used widely within student success.

"With compelling insights and practical frameworks, this book offers a transformative blueprint for higher education institutions to grow, adapt, and embrace equity. By highlighting the untapped cultural wealth and resilience of first-generation students, the authors remind us that these students are not just navigating systemic challenges—they are catalysts for meaningful change. This visionary work calls on us to align our practices with the values of inclusion, creating dynamic campuses where every student thrives. A must-read for anyone dedicated to student success and institutional excellence."

Mordecai Ian Brownlee, President, The Community College of Aurora, Aurora, Colorado, 2025 NASPA “Pillar of the Profession” recipient, and Top 10 Inspiring Education Leader recipient by The Education Magazine.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction: The Strengths and Assets of First-Generation Students: Our Future Path Forward  2. Negotiating the First-Generation Student Identity in Higher Education  3. The First-Gen Experience and Institutional Identity  4. Devising Educational Interventions to Support First-Generation Students’ Learning Experiences in Their Business Education in the United States  5. “I don’t have to hate you yet”: Intersecting Identities of Mixed-Race Experience and Low-Income Backgrounds  6. Research, Practice, and Intersectionality: Reflexive Insights on Working with and for First-Generation Students  7. Rethinking First-Generation Student Engagement in the Higher Education Experience  8.  Rethinking Social Mobility: Why We Don’t Talk About It But Need To!  9. Stories from First-Generation Students and Their Experiences with Student Services