Frameworks and Educational Resources
The First-Gen Voices project is built on the belief that lived experience is a vital form of expertise. By archiving the oral histories of first-generation students, graduates, and faculty, we provide a living curriculum that moves beyond demographics, graduation rates, and enrollment statistics. This collection serves as an educational bridge, helping prospective students see their potential and helping educators understand the structural realities of the first-generation journey.
To ensure these stories are handled with academic integrity and respect, the project is guided by the following theoretical frameworks:
Asset-Based vs. Deficit-Based Framework
In higher education, the first-generation experience has historically been viewed through a narrow lens that overlooks the immense cultural and intellectual wealth these students bring to our campus. First-Gen Voices is founded on an asset-based framework, recognizing that being first-generation is a profound source of institutional strength. Rather than framing the student journey as a series of hurdles to be cleared, our archive makes visible the powerful resources these students possess: Self-reliance, academic resilience, persistence, and a deep-rooted commitment to community. By centering these qualities, we move toward a definition of success that is rooted in the unique lived expertise and ways of learning and knowing that first-generation students contribute to our university.
Promoting Epistemic Justice
A central goal of this project is to foster epistemic justice by honoring first-generation students, graduates, and faculty as authoritative sources of knowledge. Historically, the lived expertise of the first-generation community has existed outside of the university’s formal historical record. By documenting these oral histories, we ensure that these scholarly and personal insights are recognized as essential contributions to our shared academic legacy. Our goal is to ensure that first-generation narratives are not merely included as an afterthought, but are respected as foundational to a just and complete institutional history.
By housing this project within the J. Willard Marriott Library’s permanent collections, we seek to:
- Validate first-generation community as knowers and creators of knowledge within the university’s institutional history.
- Uphold diverse ways of learning and knowing that are often overlooked or minimized in predominantly white or continuing-generation institutions.
- Provide a platform for testimonial justice, ensuring that first-generation stories are treated with care, visibility, and respect.
Dominant Narrative vs. Counter-Narrative
In higher education, the “standard” student experience is often modeled after those with generations of family history in academia. First-Gen Voices provides a counter-narrative, allowing students to define their own identities rather than being defined by institutional demographics. This allows the university community to unpack how power structures impact educational journeys and to analyze how effectively our programs serve the intersectional identities of our students.
How to Use This Archive
This collection is designed to be a tool for our campus and beyond:
- For Students & Families: Use these stories to navigate the nuances of university life and find a sense of belonging by hearing from others who have walked similar paths.
- For Faculty & Administrators: Use these oral histories to self-reflect on institutional barriers and to listen to direct feedback on how university programs and services can better serve a diverse student population.
- For Researchers: Explore the archive to identify recurring themes and structural challenges, helping to evolve the scholarly discourse toward a more just and asset-based model.
