Every time you try to quit a class or an assignment you remember how much your parents sacrificed so your future could be better than theirs.
There are many times you always think to yourself and say “I don’t need this class so it doesn’t matter.” Until you remember what your parents will say once they see that report card with a D or E. To make it worse they always bring up them coming here for your future because they never had the opportunity you had when they were your age. You can’t say anything because they are not wrong. At that moment you have to appreciate the little things like being able to take the bus to school or even having a building because in other countries the schools do not look like the ones from here.
Your Mom and Dad getting up early for work just to make sure they can pay bills and make sure you have a roof over your head. Just seeing this would make you want to start trying harder so in the future they never have to work these early hours or work at all and give them the retirement that they have deserved for the longest. You come up with the conclusion that the only person who can give them that future that they deserve is you. When you realize that a switch happens in your brain.
Remember that you aren’t the first to experience this as many people have. This includes amazing people who have changed the world. Michelle Obama is an example of being a first gen student who thrived even if the odds were not in her favor. “Sure there were moments when I had doubt.” She even included her thinking she was not as smart as other students around her. But soon she found out she just needed to get her confidence up and had to start believing in herself. She ends with giving a message to first gen students saying “No matter where you come from or how much money your family has, I want you to know that you can succeed in college, and get your degree, and then go on to build an incredible life for yourself.”
Many people feel that if they don’t have the resources to do something then they can’t accomplish anything. But like Michelle Obama said you don’t need any of that stuff. What you need is confidence.
