How First-Generation Students Navigate Higher Education through An Embrace of Their Multiple Identities

Chapter 1: Introduction: The Strengths and Assets of First-Generation Students - Our Future Path Forward
Matt Daily

Chapter 2: Negotiating the First-Generation Student Identity in Higher Education
Angie Klimko and Tiffany Lam

Chapter 3: The First-Gen Experience and Institutional Identity
Matt Newlin, SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai, and Matt Daily

Chapter 4: Devising Educational Interventions to Support First-Generation Students’ Learning Experiences in Their Business Education in the United States
Beatriz Itzel Cruz Megchun

Chapter 5: “I Don’t Have to Hate You Yet”: Intersecting Identities of Mixed-Race Experience and Low-Income Backgrounds
Adam J. Rodriguez

Chapter 6: Reflections on Intersectionality and First-Generation Students
Rebecca Covarrubias and Ibette Valle

Chapter 7: Rethinking First-Generation Student Engagement in the Higher Education Experience
Amy Baldwin and Daphne Rankin

Chapter 8: Rethinking Social Mobility: Why We Don’t Talk About It But Need To!
Adj Marshall and Rosemary Ferreira

Chapter 9: Stories from First-Generation Students and Their Experiences with Student Services
Adam Omidpanah, Sopharoth Ith, and Diana Salgado Huicochea

Biography

SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai is Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, and affiliate faculty of Ethnic Studies at the University of Portland, USA

and

Matt Daily is Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students at Idaho State University, USA.

Layla Garrigues is Associate Professor of the School of Nursing and Health Innovations at the University of Portland, USA.

"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.