All Stories

"I researched what I did not find in academia. I sought out scholars already in the academy who practiced pedagogies that were aligned with my philosophy and understanding of the world.  With their work as a foundation, I have become more comfortable with the soundness of my own teaching/learning relationships and practices." - Jeanette M Bushnell (Ph.D., Women Studies, 2010; B.S.N., 1975; M.N., 1979), Faculty Instructor: Department of Comparative History of Ideas; Interdisciplinary Honors

"You belong here. You belong here. You belong here. You belong here. Show up and work hard. Find community and always be willing to be there for others in the same way people have been there for you." - Jason Naranjo, Associate Teaching Professor for Disabilities Studies

"Knowing someone is first-gen brings an important point of connection that even after all these years alleviates isolation. This connection may be with a fellow faculty or staff person, but also first-gen undergraduate and first-gen graduate students. (Being a first-gen graduate student was particularly challenging for me.) I always mention my first-gen identity on the first day of class so that students might feel more comfortable approaching me." - Andrea Otáñez, Teaching Professor, Department of Communication

"Find a sympathetic faculty member and start asking questions. How should you design your major?  How do you go about realizing your goals or what's the best way to clarify to yourself what your goals are?   You don't know what you don't know -- it's very, very easy to make mistakes that will have you miss out on opportunities without even realizing it!" - Stefan Steinerberger, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics 

"My family could not provide me with information on what it means to be a university student, so I had to figure it out myself. It is a huge change going from high school to university. In the end, I viewed my experience as something that gave me an edge. I learned to solve problems and figure out answers as I needed them and this gave me strength and self-confidence." - Sándor Kovács, Professor, Department of Mathematics

"Mostly, it's just comforting to meet others who have navigated similar obstacles. In terms of professional norms, knowledge, and expectations, I feel like it's taken me a few decades to catch up with my colleagues for whom higher education, and professional identity in general, was modeled in the family. Just the mechanics of an academic career, like applying to grad school, or even knowing the difference between an MA and a PhD, were all things I had to learn as I did them." - Louisa Mackenzie, Associate Professor, Department of Comparative History of Ideas 

"I was 24 years old when I found support to apply for college. This support came from other first-generation college students who noticed my curiosity and inquisitiveness and sat with me while I applied. That support led me to graduate with a four-year degree and then be accepted to the University of Washington as a graduate student. Now that I am a professor, I want to continue to pass forward this support to first-generation students, to pursue paths deemed impossible or unlikely because of where we come from and who we are." - fabian romero, alum (Ph.D. Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies)