To help educators integrate these oral histories into their curriculum, we have identified recurring themes and developed reflective questions. These resources are designed to help students and faculty move from listening to critical analysis and institutional reflection.
Key Themes for Exploration
Reflective Questions for Students
These questions invite you to engage with the stories in this archive and see yourself reflected in the university experience. As you listen, consider how these students navigated their journeys and the specific strengths they used to succeed. This reflection is designed to help you recognize your own potential, find connection in shared stories, and understand that your background and experiences are valuable assets to any campus community.
- How does the participant define themselves beyond being a first-generation student? How do their other identities shape their college experience?
- What specific strengths did you hear the participant use to overcome a challenge?
- What moments or spaces on campus helped the participant feel they were a valued member of the university community?
- What is one piece of practical wisdom the participant shared that surprised you or shifted your perspective on navigating college?
- How did the participant’s motivations for attending college connect to their family or their home community?
- In what ways did the participant show they were an expert at finding their own way, such as seeking out mentors or asking for help when things got complicated?
- After listening to this story, what is one thing about college that feels more possible or less intimidating to you now?
- If you were to add your own story to this archive one day, what is a strength or skill you have right now that you think would help you to succeed in college?
Reflective Questions for Faculty & Administrators
These reflective questions are designed to help university leaders, deans, and department chairs move beyond viewing first-generation status through the lens of retention data and instead engage with the qualitative realities of the student experience. By listening to and reading these oral histories, administrators can identify where institutional structures may inadvertently create barriers and, conversely, where the university can better amplify the existing intellectual wealth of its first-generation community. Use these prompts to facilitate a critical examination of departmental culture, policy, and long-term advocacy.
- How did this participant’s story challenge the dominant narrative of what a “typical” University of Utah student experience looks like?
- Based on these narratives, what institutional barriers (intentional or unintentional) appear to be most persistent for first-generation students?
- How does listening to these stories change your understanding of who holds expertise on our campus?
- In what ways do our current curricula or departmental standards inadvertently prioritize continuing-generation ways of learning and knowing over the lived expertise shared in these interviews?
- Participants often share how they established their own paths. What “unwritten rules” in your specific discipline could be made more transparent to support their navigational success?
- While programs like First-Generation Scholars and TRIO are vital, how can we integrate the support mentioned in these interviews into the everyday fabric of our departments?
- How can we ensure that first-generation students are invited to serve as partners in departmental decision-making, rather than just being the subjects of institutional data?
- The project notes that individual efforts aren’t enough for systemic change. What structural changes can our department/college/university propose to ensure the visibility and respect of first-generation students are sustained long-term?
