Lisa Tin feels people look down on her when she says she’s a first-generation student, so doesn’t tell anyone.
Tin, a 20-year-old UF Chinese American food science sophomore, was one of four panelists in a discussion on what it means to be a first-generation Asian American or Latinx college student during a discussion panel to an audience of 60 Thursday night. The event was hosted by the UF Hispanic Student Association and the Asian American Student Union.
Other panelists included Giancarlo Siu, an 18-year-old Nicaraguan accounting freshman; Kelly Nguyen, a Vietnamese health science freshman; Stefan Sanguyo, a 21-year-old Filipino criminology senior; and Adrian Cruz, a 21-year-old UF Cuban industrial and systems engineering junior.
Stephanie Beltran, the organizer of the event for Hispanic Student Association and moderator, said Asian Americans and Latinx students face similar challenges as first-generation students and people of color. The goal of the panel was to give resources to these students, including a micro grant offered by the UF Office of Student Financial Affairs, which is about $2,500 for students struggling to pay their bills.
“I hope people can identify and learn from the panelists who share their same culture,” Beltran, an 18-year-old UF accounting sophomore, said.
The panelists answered questions about parents’ expectations, how they navigate through college and what resources they use at UF to feel more at home.
“Broward Tutoring Center was the first place I went to,” Cruz said. “I couldn’t afford Study Edge, and the one-on-one tutoring helped with my anxiety.”
Cruz said he felt culture shock when arriving to UF. He grew up in Hialeah, Florida, a Hispanic city in Miami-Dade County, and said he found himself speaking loudly and saying “dale” to students who didn’t understand his culture.
Cruz plans on creating a first-generation preview day, for students and parents to have an orientation guided by first-generation Cicerones.
“They can see how successful they can become,” Cruz said.
Asian and Latin American first-generation students speak about their experiences at UF during a discussion panel Thursday night.
