Interviewer: Lux Darkbloom & Jimena Prieto Andrew
Interview Subject: GH

Jimena: So to get started, would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself, any hobbies, interests, anything that you’d like to share about yourself?

GH: I’m a fourth-year mechanical engineering major. I have two brothers, one older, one younger. I’m the first person [in my family] to go to college. Well, my brother went for, like, a couple of months, but then he dropped out, my older brother. So technically I’m still the only one…I do have a lot of hobbies. I make music. I like stuff like that, I guess, like artsy stuff. And I like to work on cars as well. 

Lux: What kind of music do you play?

GH: Make or play?

Lux: Make or play, both, either. 

GH: I actually don’t know how to play any instruments so I just use a lot of sampling. I first started doing a lot of hip hop beats, but now it’s just alternative or pop music now. 

Lux: That’s really cool. How long have you been making music?

GH: I was like 17 when I started on my, like, iPod. And then I got money because I got a job and then I got money to buy actual stuff for the computer.

Lux: That is really cool. So you mentioned you have siblings and you’re the middle child, right?

GH: Yeah.

Lux: So your older sibling gave it a shot at college, and even if they had completed the degree, I think that you would still probably be categorized as first-gen. Cause…even if your siblings are of a different generation, it kind of goes parents and then children. Is that right, Jimena?

Jimena: Yes, that is right. So even if his older brother would have graduated college, you still would be considered [first-gen]. And even after you graduate, [if] your younger brother decides to go to college, he will still be considered first-gen. So he could apply to all those scholarships, be part of our program because he is first-gen. 

Lux: Yeah. It’s kind of confusing in a lot of ways. I’ve found, doing research, that there are about eight different definitions for what makes a student a first-gen student. So it’s very bureaucratic.

Jimena: It really is.

Lux: What year are you in school? You said third or fourth year?

GH: Fourth.

Lux: Fourth year, very cool. What is your major? 

GH: Mechanical engineering. 

Jimena: And then I don’t know if you mentioned–I don’t think you did, but are you part-time or full-time student? 

GH: Full-time. 

LD: Full-time. Nice. Do you also work while you’re going to school? 

GH: Not currently. I usually work in the summertime. 

Lux: Nice, okay. So taking a little bit of a change of direction here, we’re going to kind of get into the why of higher ed. What initially motivated you to pursue higher ed? 

GH: Well, I think because of my parents pushing it on to me at a young age. I think that’s mainly why. Going to school, grade school, secondary school also helped me or pushed me further to go. Yeah, so there isn’t that many people in my family that went to college, but mainly my parents pushed me. 

Lux: How did that feel having that kind of pressure to go to college? Or did you feel like, “Yeah, this is definitely what I’m going to do and it’s the next step”? Or was it more of a situation where like, “Well, this is what the path that my folks have kind of laid out before me”? 

GH: I guess, I don’t know. Like my mom, she did go to college, but she didn’t go four years. She quit halfway through. She got her associates. So she told me about college when I was younger and why I needed to go. My dad never finished high school. He works really hard, and I do the work with him. And I don’t want to do that for the next 40 years. So it kind of really pushed me to do something better and encouraged me to do better with my mom. 

Lux: What kind of work do you do with your dad? 

GH: We do construction. 

Lux: Yeah, that’s super intense work. That would be hard to do for, like you said, the next 40 years.

Jimena: So can you tell us a little bit about what your first semester of college was like, your first year?

GH: It was very different. I was very nervous. I think most people are. I just–what was it called?–I stayed alone most of the time my first semester. I didn’t really talk to many friends up until halfway through. And then I started making friends here. So it got better. It got better.

Lux: So what kind of factors impacted you in choosing engineering as a major? 

GH: That’s a good question. Because when I was younger, I really wanted to do more of an art thing for a career, but I just liked cars as a young kid. And that’s all I wanted to do. When I was like…I was like fifth grade, I think. They asked like, “What do you want to do when you’re older?” And I put “Something with cars.” That’s what I put, “Something with cars.” And then when I went to middle school, they told me about these engineering classes. So I took them and I liked it. So that’s why I’ve always been on that track. And my dad’s also into cars. So I’ve been just around cars my whole life. 

Jimena: Okay, so switching tracks a little bit. I know you said that you don’t work right now, but before this year, have you had any work or like [trouble with your] work-life balance?

GH: Well, actually this past summer I did. I did have three summer classes through SLCC, and I worked. It was a bit challenging, I would say, because I had to do all these, like, six-hour assignments after work. It was really hard. So I personally didn’t like it, but it was a good experience. So I think it was worth it. 

Jimena: Have you done any internships or anything up until this point or not yet?

GH: No, I’ve applied. No one’s reached out, but I do have a potential maybe next summer. 

Lux: Nice. So. Internships get super competitive in engineering, especially. So hang in there. I know you’ll get one.

GH: I hope so. All those people at the career fairs, they’re just like, you know, what is it called? Like, my friends that go to the career fairs and stuff like that, they just change their whole personality just to get a job that they don’t even like or want. I hate it. Just be real with yourself. If they don’t like you at all, they’re not gonna talk to you. 

Lux: Yeah. Being authentic at work, it’s gonna make life a lot easier, instead of trying to force a fit personality-wise, right? So, you talked about working during the summer, are you able to raise enough money during summer to cover your tuition for both fall and spring semesters?

GH: Yes.

Lux: That’s wild. That’s so much work in a summer. So you haven’t had to do any kind of financial aid or anything like that? 

GH: No. 

Jimena: That’s good.

Lux: That’s really great. That stuff is hard to navigate and not super fun to engage those services, but glad we have them.

Jimena: Yes, I agree. So moving on a little bit to, you know, your support systems. What has had the biggest impact in terms of your academic success?

GH: Biggest, biggest factor? I think just, just going forward. I get discouraged when I fail exams, but I just keep going. I got friends that are in the same boat so we all just come together and learn off one another. So I guess the friends I have and how we study, that’s the biggest factor. 

Jimena: So, study groups and just having that community with your friends?

GH: Yeah, study groups. Having people, knowing people [who are upper classmen] as well.

Lux: Yeah. It’s good to have some peer-to-peer guidance. We find that that’s how most students learn about resources from the university, just talking to classmates and friends. We don’t see a whole lot of marketing for many services. Or if we do, you gotta be in the right place at the right time to bump into that marketing. So creating resources, like study groups with friends, is really a huge, huge asset. So, looking at this through the lens of being a first-gen student, do you feel like that has had any kind of impact on how academically successful you are? Or do you feel like that label is part of your identity, but it hasn’t had that much of an impact on your academic success?

GH: That one. Yeah, it’s just a label to me. It hasn’t really impacted me or affected my schooling, so. 

Lux: Yeah, that’s good to hear.

Jimena: Would you describe your experience connecting with any faculty members or staff members?

GH: Some, they encouraged us. My calculus professor my first year, can I name drop or no? 

Lux: Yeah, go for it.

GH: …What’s his name? Nope, no, I just forgot his name. Anyway, he works at the math department and he was, like, super nice. He taught the class, like he had been teaching it for years. But then he told us towards the end, like “Thank you guys for being my first best class ever.” And I’m just like, “What? No way, like there’s no way. You taught this like the back of your hand. That’s crazy.” And he always encouraged us to reach out, to just go to office hours. Like even if you don’t have questions, just go and talk to professors. But I couldn’t go because his office hours were just always [at] inconvenient times because I had other classes during those times. But they’re not always that nice, unfortunately. I’ve met a couple of professors that aren’t nice; they’re just very mean and condescending towards you. I’ve had better relationships with office staff here at the U. Like most of the people in TRIO, I made a connection with them, but they all ended up leaving. But it’s all right, though. At least I’m making it, making something, I guess. 

Lux: Yeah. And it sounds like you spend some time in the First-Gen Space, too, and connect with folks there so that’s very positive. But yeah, it always sucks when you have a run-in with a professor who’s condescending or impatient with you, or…just not very compassionate about being a student. That definitely doesn’t make it any easier. Have you ever had a faculty member say in class, “Hey, I’m first-gen”?

GH: A professor? 

Lux: Yeah

GH: That was also first-gen? 

Lux: Yeah. 

GH: I think that Calc professor was. I think he was, yeah. 

Lux: Cool. Yeah, we have quite a few first-gen faculty, but, of course, the continuing generation faculty are in the majority. But we do have a very significant number of first-gen faculty. It seems like they don’t tend to identify themselves in class very often. 

Jimena: No, I don’t think so. That has been the consensus overall, doing these interviews, a lot of students say, no.

GH: No, I mean, there might be, but they just never say. So you never know. 

Lux: Yeah, it’s interesting. I wonder if it’s gonna change generationally, like as we see more folks from Gen Z becoming professors, if they’ll be more open to sharing that kind of information and helping students out by being part of the first-gen community. You mentioned your professor, the Calc professor, being a really standout, nice person to work with in terms of faculty. I’m wondering if you’ve had any kind of role models off campus or on campus–folks who have kind of acted as mentors to you during your higher ed experience? 

GH: I don’t think so, no. I don’t have any role models, no. 

Lux: Do you have any big supporters who you feel like, “Yeah, these folks are encouraging me to like see this dream through to graduation”? 

GH: Like at home or at school? 

Lux: Oh, either. 

GH: Oh, either? I guess my parents, maybe, yeah. Yeah. I don’t know about any faculty, but who knows? Probably. 

Jimena: So, switching gears a little bit, we’re gonna talk about belonging and well-being. Do you think that being a first-gen student has affected your social or emotional well-being? 

GH: Being a first-gen student? 

Jimena: Being a first generation, having that label, if you will. Do you think it has affected your social life or your emotional [well-being]? 

GH: No, to be honest, like I’ll mention it. Doesn’t matter. I don’t care. It doesn’t affect my life at all, really. I don’t think it should, positively or negatively.

Lux: Yeah, I get that because, in a sense, you could see it from this perspective of, “This isn’t a label that I am putting on myself. This is a label that’s been applied by admissions” and that sort of thing. Thinking in a little bit of a different direction and talking more about feeling a sense of belonging on campus, we know that through research about undergraduates, that feeling like you belong on your campus, in those classes, in that higher ed experience is really important as far as academic success goes and getting to graduation. So on our campus, it’s pretty homogeneous, where a majority of our student body and our faculty are continuing-generation students. But also living in Utah, where the U of U is the flagship university, we find, too, that the majority of students and faculty are white, and a lot of them have a family history of higher ed. Do you feel like being in a homogeneous environment has had an impact on your college experience? 

GH: No, not really.

Lux: Okay. 

GH: Yeah. 

Jimena: So now, we’re moving on to the wrap-up portion of the interview. Are there any programs or resources that you would wanna create to help future students? Like if you had an unlimited amount of money, what do you think you would do or create?

GH: What would I do? Towards first-gen students or anybody? 

Jimena: Whatever you’d like. Maybe you felt like, “Oh, I really wish I had that as a student, but I didn’t, or the university doesn’t offer that.” What would you do? What would you create? Or maybe there’s a program right now or an office that you really like that you would want to give more money to, whatever.

GH: So I’m part of Formula U. It’s a racing team here at the university. We have to make a whole F1-style car from scratch completely, and we’re broke.We’re like $700 in the hole right now. 

Lux: Oh, my God.

GH: And we have till December to get sponsors. So that’s what I’d go towards. I’d dump my money into that because there’s a lot of us that really wanna make this work…If we make it happen, we get to go to Michigan next summer, and we have to go compete with 200 other universities from the world. 

Jimena: Wow. 

Lux: Yeah, that is a huge challenge. That’s so cool. I haven’t heard about that before.

Jimena: Me neither until now. How many of you guys is it?

GH: Active members? Well, there’s, I guess like in total there’s usually about a hundred plus. 

Jimena: Oh wow.

GH: Active members, I’m gonna say around 40 to 50. 

Lux: That’s a big number.

GH: Yeah, it’s a good number. But this past summer, our team volunteered to go out to Michigan, and we saw how it was in all the schools. And most of the big engineering schools that went actually did terrible. They didn’t even do that great. It’s actually weird finding that out.

Lux: That is kind of surprising.

Jimena: Yeah. Do you guys have a faculty member overseeing you guys, or advising you? Or is this just all led by students?

GH: We do have one advisor. Or we have technically three, but one of them is the main advisor. He kind of oversees. He kind of oversees too much, in my opinion. He gets too involved. 

Lux: Oh man. Like a micromanager kinda.

GH: Yeah. He just wants to be part of everything. I think cause he retired. Like he’s older. He just wants to be part of something. 

Lux: Yeah, it sounds like it. As long as he doesn’t become a barrier to you accomplishing the stuff that you want to do in that group, go for it, right? So looking back over your past four years of being at the university, can you think of a moment, or an experience, or an accomplishment that you feel really proud of? 

GH: I guess every time I go to a career fair or job fair, right? I always get…I feel like I just get ignored, or one [person] even told me, “You’re not professional enough.” And I was like, “What? What does that mean?” The only reason why I joined Formula U was because they needed somebody with a certain set of skills. That’s what I have, and that’s what I brought to the table. So I was like, I guess this is what I got to do now. I guess that’s my biggest accomplishment–finding something, finding somewhere I belong, finding something where I can make a purpose or have a purpose, make something of myself. 

Lux: Yeah. And something that’s so aligned with your interests and that sort of thing. That’s really cool. 

Jimena: How did you hear about Formula U?

GH: Found out…actually, I found out my freshman year, but I wasn’t focused in on it. And plus, if you’re a freshman joining, you don’t necessarily know what to do. You just end up being a floater. So a couple of years passed and then my friend, Leo–his brother already graduated just this past spring. I went to his little table event and I asked him, “Oh, your whole chassis is made out of carbon fiber?” And that’s my background. I used to do carbon fiber in high school. And I was like, “Well, how’d you guys make this?” And just, like, tell me everything about it.” And then he was like, “We’re losing members soon because they’re going to graduate soon. So if you know anyone that’s in carbon fiber, let me know.” I was like, “Well, I’ve done carbon fiber.” And that’s how I got in, yeah…He was in charge of making the molds for this metal roll bar and roll cage assembly for it so I worked directly under him. Now I work directly under Tristan, our new team lead, and we have our first meeting today, so we’re going to see that. So basically through a friend, I joined it.

Lux: Alright, well, we have one last question for you. And this is coming from a place of compassion for your younger self, what kind of advice or guidance would you want to give to a high school student who’s thinking about being the first in their families to go to college?

GH: I guess they would have to know what they wanted to do. I’d say you should go into college knowing what you want to do. Like that’s the bottom line. Like you should probably have a good idea what you want to do. Is the question asking, should they go to school or if they want to go to school? 

Lux: If they’re thinking about it and they’re feeling maybe some hesitation because it would be such a new experience.

GH: Oh, if they’re willing to go, it’s a great experience. You can’t just be scared of a new experience. You’ll regret it. If you want to do something with your life, go do it. If you don’t, then don’t. Just do everything you want now. You’re not going to have another chance later on. My brotherwants to play soccer now, but it’s hard for him now because he’s married. He should have done that before he got married, right? Like if I was going to do this stuff after like a certain age, there’s no good chance for me. Like, there isn’t. If you want to do it, then I say, go do it. No one should stop you from doing what you want to do. If you want to do it, give it a hundred percent, or don’t do it at all. 

Lux: Well, I think that’s about it then.You feel like we’re at a good stopping point, Jimena?

Jimena: Yes.

Lux: Okay. Well, I’m going to say thank you so much for talking with us. We really appreciate you doing this. And I think it’s going to be really helpful to hear your perspective for other students who are either in school right now, or even just thinking about going into higher ed. It’s always good to have as many perspectives as we possibly can. So thank you so much.

Jimena: Thank you.

GH: Thank you.