Directions:

We have now seen the challenges/barriers some successful individuals have had to overcome on their way to an education. But now, I want us to think a little closer to home, in something that may be more relevant to what you may be experiences. To do so, we will watch a documentary called First Generation. As the name would suggest, it focuses on four California students who are the first in their families to go to college. They each have different barriers to cross.

Step 1:

Watch the documentary below:

Step 2:

As you watch, work to complete the worksheet below.

First Generation Graphic Organizer

Answer preview

Cecilia lives with her mother, who is a migrant farmworker. Her father was extradited to Mexico when she was in a junior year, so the family survives on her mother’s income. They have no cash saved up for college.

Cecilia has no support from her mother because their culture only perceives women as homemakers.

She gave up on applying to UCLA because the application required her to talk about her family life, which was hard for her…