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Hi Yareli, so we obviously know eachother already, but for those viewers who are watching this just gonna introduce

myself my name is Anita Casavantes Bradford I'm an associate professor of

history and Chicano Latino Studies and I am a first-generation college student

and first women in my family to finish high school and why don't you introduce

yourself as well. Hi, I am Yareli Castro I am third-year political science and soon-to-be

history double-major. I am also an undocumented student so that adds on to the first generation.

Thank you so much, thank you for being here just to kind of start things

out I want you to think back whether it's to childhood or high school or

whatever and when was the moment when you first decided that you wanted to go

to college? I don't I don't think I have a moment in mind when I decided

that I was going to go to college it was something that I've always just had in my

mind like I'm gonna go to college.

Back in Mexico both of my parents were going to be lawyers but that didn't quite turn out just because we're from

Sinaloa so I guess the political spectrum in the political climate got a

little bit to hectic did and so my mom couldn't really go to college and my dad

didn't either so it was when they decided to begin migrating so we

started coming to the United States and things like that so when I came here it

was just one of the things that I was like oh that's a really exciting the

United States has a lot of really good universities and so I was like I'm

gonna go to college but I think in high school I went to a really small high

school and so there was about 500 of us in total and so being an undocumented student it was really hard for me because our counselor

didn't really know what it meant to be undocumented and so I had to really seek

the resources and I had to educate myself on a lot of the issues like

financial aid how do I applied for financial aid here in-state tuition

and things like that

and so I spent so many of my years really learning all of this by myself

that there was no way that I was not gonna go to college

just because I spent four years learning about everything and I did a research

project in which I was finding the ways that I could incite other undocumented

students to come to college so I was like I'm not gonna be hypocritical and not go to college but I'm

telling you that you should go to college and so it just became one of the

things that there was no way I wasn't going to go to college and so I had

really good grades and things like that and hopefully I was able to come here

which is really exciting. So you were dealing with not just being the first in

your family to go to college but you were also dealing with being an undocumented

student at a time when laws in California were changing faster than

the university system and the high school system could keep track of right

so I mean we've talked with other students about how coming to university

for them was like kinda like entering a foreign country right you don't speak

the language you don't know the rules that's kind of doubly true if you're an

undocumented student right from your perspective how is it different to

be both undocumented and a first gen student? In college? I would say just because there's

just not adequate training for faculty and stuff so I remember going to

financial aid in this and I was just asking questions like have you ever seen

my California Dream Act and things like that and they would be like oh I'm not

sure let me ask someone else right so people when I would go ask questions they didn't have the

answers themselves they had to ask which showed to me that they weren't

really trained and they didn't know how to really help us and there was like a lot

of issues that we face there's like legal issues and mental mental issues in

like health issues that for a lot of us like we don't have insurance or do we do

so it was nice coming here and just really getting insurance for the first

time right, while I see my parents and they struggle like when they get sick as

one of those really stressful times because it's a lot of money

and my mom got sick for a while and she didn't have insurance and that was like

a really stressful time not only like emotionally but financially it was

really stressful and so coming here is really hard having to explain

yourself like I'm undocumented and this is what it means to be undocumented and

this is the extra help that I need from you but for them not to be able to give

you like concrete answers and to really tell you and guide you along the way

because they don't know about your identity

it's really really hard and just the added stress of classes was just like on

top of everything else and really and really also struggling with my identity

was really tough, Oh can I tell you, can I trust you not to out me right and there

there was a lot of things that came when when I started telling people I'm

undocumented I know I didn't care but there was a lot of people that were not

at that stage so it was a little hard really dealing with both of those things.

So you're dealing with being the first in the family to go to college your

dealing with being an undocumented student you're dealing with being in a

totally different place family issues all of this right and I think in a lot

of ways that's probably common for many first-gen students right documented or

undocumented all of these extra challenges and yet you have succeeded

and you are succeeding right like I know you have a great GPA and I know you

spent the summer at a pre-law program you know at the UCI law school you are

succeeding so what is the secret right what have you learned in your last

couple of years here at UCI that that has helped you and that might help other

first gen students to succeed? My first quarter was my worst quarter I could say

and I didn't do too bad I still made Dean's honors list but it was my first

quarter and I think that the toughest part was really getting the hang of the

quarter system it was really fast. I remember I started and it was

already weak 8. I was like oh my God where did all the time go? That happens to

professors to.

Yeah, so it was really really tough and even now I'm an academic advisor for the school of social

sciences and I notice that and there's like a big pattern like the people's first

quarters are pretty much the worst quarters and from what I learned is that

I always needed to have someone in my classes that could help me so I always

took classes with my friends who were political science majors and things like

that and I did well because I had study groups I couldn't study by myself I

couldn't catch up on reading by myself like I had to talk to someone because it

was a lot easier just talking to someone about the content then just reading it

and just paying attention in class so all of the study groups I was really

supplemental to and it really helped also, what I learned is that I really like my major

and there's people who come to do it because their parents told them or

because they want to make money in the future so it's not really something that

they really truly want to do and so I've noticed that if it's not something that

they thought about myself like yes I want to be this major they usually don't

do good and I've seen this pattern when I talk to when I talk to students in

the office I could tell whether or not they wanted to do that major

and also I think it's hard because you need to have a really good background

in everything that you do so I know for like a lot of the econ majors like

if you don't have a good background in math you're not gonna do good and that's

affect you and so what I've noticed is just like you need to you need to make sure that

you're doing what you want to do and what you love to do and you'll do fine

and you'll do a lot better than if you didn't. So let's talk about that a bit right

because that that resonates with me because when I was an undergrad you know

I was really interested in was interested in sociology I was interested

in development studies I was interested in Latin American Studies and yet I and

so I used all of my elective credits to study the things that I liked but I had

already decided for myself that I was going to get a degree in English and

history because those were teachable subjects I was gonna get my teachers

credential and I was going to work right like a lot of first-gen students

students from low-income households you're thinking of college is what I do

in order to get a job so I didn't give myself the flexibility to just

choose whatever major I wanted eventually it all worked out for me

right I ended up exactly where I wanted to be but twenty years later what would you say to

students who are legitimately concerned about you know needing to get

a job after college and they do think about that when they choose their major

right what would you say to them well what I do tell students is like yeah you

might do something that will prepare you for to get a job but even but even in it

but you probably won't get a good GPA and that's not gonna look very good on

you right and that's probably not gonna allow you to get a good job while in the

other hand you could get you could do the major that you really really

want to do and your GPA reflected and you will do much better so that's what I

tell people honestly you need to like weigh what you want to do versus like

getting a job because it's on it's gonna look way better on your resume for you

to have something that that you love right have a major and for you to have

straight A's and B's and things like that

while you could be doing something that not necessarily what you want to do

what you doin it because you have to and you're getting C's so it's

like one of the things that I tell people think about it think about it

because like your future pretty much depends on it like I know it's not set

in stone but it's pretty much like you're getting there and you need to

really think about what you're doing

yeah passion passion makes people stand out right so if your passion is

literature your passion is anthropology and you can't clearly see how there's a

job at the end of that if you're passionate and you work hard people

notice that. Because the opportunities come right they kinda do don't they

especially here you could do research in anything and it doesn't really matter

whether I'm doing political science and I'm doing research and I'm

doing research on something that I'm

interested about and that's gonna show when I when I apply to a graduate

program and things like that right where else I could be doing some other major but

I wasn't really interested in how is that gonna help me in the long run. So

let's talk about grad school because obviously first gen students go to

graduate school in lower numbers right undocumented students go to university

at all in very very low numbers right and then graduate school there's you

know just a few shining stars across the country that are blazing that pathway

right so what are your plans for graduate school? I have debating I've

been debating this a lot but hopefully I've been doing really well my classes

and I been just getting as much experience as I can so I'm planning on

hopefully doing a joint degree to get my my law degree and my PhD at the same

time I'm I'm still like decided whether I wanted to be a political science or

history but I'm still like in the middle of it before the most part that's a

really liked the path that I want to take just because I know that I want to

practice immigration law but I wanna go back to my communities and to

undocumented folks and just really teach them because I feel that they

don't get they don't get a good good education from the very beginning so

that sets them back a lot and so now when their planning in High

School and things like that they already don't have the good background to do

really good and go on to college and go on to graduate school so I want to start

from there. So what would you say to other first-gen students documented and

undocumented here at UCI that think well graduate school is not for people

like me right I can't afford graduate school I don't know I don't know anyone

who's ever been to graduate school what would you say to them? I'm in the same

situation as you are but just because you think just because you think the

future doesn't look bright

that doesn't mean that it's not but you need to you need to be

you need to be reaching for you need to be working towards some people think

that everything was just gonna come to them but you need to work really hard

specially for your first generation college student you have to work like

twice or three times as hard just because you're not gonna have the background

knowledge I know I can't ask my parents like oh how do I apply for grad school

because they're not gonna know how does law school they're not gonna know

so it's like one of those things that you need to be like teaching yourself

along the process and really getting mentors too. I know I can ask you

for anything and I really wish that people really had that someone

someone who's been there who is gotten a PhD law degree and we are able to ask

for anything right and so I think that's one of the things that we need to be

building the foundation for those first-generation college students that

that want to pursue a graduate studies but are scared so I feel like those are one

of those things that they're scared just because no one has it they don't know

anyone who's done in there and they're gonna stop there but I mean if everyone

would have said that then there'll be no first-generation college students like

yourself like

going and getting the PhD so I feel like we need to be more, we

need to we need to be like taking advantage of all the opportunities

especially here we are a research institution and I feel like people don't

take advantage of that at times, but is a real easy to get involved like you

know but obviously you need to seek that the mentors and faculty here. So in

practical terms how do you do that right how do you as a student who has just

arrived at UCI there's what 30,000 students at UCI and you know you're in a

lecture hall there's two hundred students there's one professor how do

you form a relationship with that faculty member what do you do? I feel

like both those are a little harder to get involved but people don't take

advantage of office hours I go to office hours a lot and there's no one

there so people think that faculty are Oh strange like I'm not

gonna talk to them they're very very scary but I mean they're there for a

reason they wanna mentor students and things like that so really

being like actively participating and getting to know your professors and

asking questions even when you don't understand my new things and just go ask

like there's no hurt in that but also take advantage of upper Division

classes because they're a lot smaller and I know

there is 20 of us so I'm gonna get to know her and she's gonna get to know each one

of those things that you can't be shy and you can't be afraid to ask questions and

to engage with your faculty because then you're not gonna get to know anyone? So

what if you are shy right let's let's let's talk about the first gen student

that is shy and it is afraid right what are two things that you would

suggest that are like baby steps that they could do in their first quarter

that will put them on a you know put them on the right path? I would say the

very first thing is just the least go introduce yourself like oh I like your

lecture like what you talked about today and then even if you don't want to go

straight to the professor go to your teaching assistant I feel like they

could they could feel like they're a little bit more personable just because

they are in college with you you know so it could be one of those like a building

blocks like go talk to someone and they slowly build up your courage to talk to

your professors but I mean I feel like it's a lot easier for you to talk to

your professors when there's no one there so it's one of those things that find

excuses too you know, I remember I was like oh I don't understand that I'm

gonna go talk to them so that's one of the things that you need to be able to

just get out of your comfort zone I remember I was like that freshman year

but that just went away cause I allowed myself to take that step and be like oh

my god I can't be afraid I'm gonna need letters of recommendation I'm gonna need

you know people who could say good things about me right right you

don't want to be in your 4th year

thinking okay now I'm going to apply to graduate school are now applying to

teach For America

now applying for my first job and I don't have any relationships with the

professors so I don't have anybody to ask for recommendation letters right

like you want to build that relationship starting from year one or year two right

so that when you as that professor for recommendation they can write a real

letter they can say I've known Yareli for three years right so let's

brainstorm together

think let's think back to the first quarter right but that difficult first

quarter where everyone feels like what am I doing here right let's brainstorm a

list of five or six things that you can do in that first quarter to succeed ok

so I'm gonna start with have all of your books on the first day of class right so

that's kind of one of my pet peeves as a professor I send out emails two weeks

before the quarter start asking people to just get their books cause the quarter is

so fast right if you don't if you don't have the books and you don't start

reading your gonna be in trouble right so get your books what's something else

they can do to succeed?

One thing I've seen and I didn't do but take only 12 units the minimum just because I took it like

I took twenty and I was like, ohmy god but I did well but I look back on it and I was like I

should have only takenthree classes. just because it's a lot easier it's a lot

easier for you to get the hang of it when you only had three classes and

you're doing you know just lower division classes really getting into

your major and really realizing whether you like it or not and so I tell people

take 12 units that they could handle everything I took this many classes

in high school when I take this many classes but it's not the same it's really

not the same right so another thing expect to work in my in my opinion

expect to work a forty to 50 hour week right like just because you're only in

classes for 12 hours a week most of your time should be spent on studying reading

do the reading by what else what's one more thing? One more thing

get to know people in your class and make study groups I remember very first

person that I talked to still my friend but he helped me out a lot we did

really well and the political science class and it was because lets say I didn't understand

something I would just call him and be like can you come help me can we study

together and it was a lot easier because there was a lot of reading to for that

class and I was just like oh I don't think I can do it and he was like ok I'll read

little bit you read a little bit and we'll just talk about it and then we'll

make flashcards and study guides and things like that and it all just worked

out fine but people are afraid to talk to their peers and I'm like oh my god if you

can't talk to your peers that's gonna be a lot harder for you to talk to other people

and it just becomes a lot easier you know it's like two working together.

Right okay so final words of encouragement for first-gen students

documented and undocumented at UCI? Seek the resources and seek their faculty and

staff I know there's a lot of faculty that are always just there to help you

like you and Dr. Reese has been really helpful and just for them to talk to you

and ask for advice when you don't understand anything don't hesitate to

ask questions I feel like people feel like I'm dumb, I'm sure someone else has the same

question as you so don't hesitate to ask questions and keep up with the readings

that's like the toughest thing for me some time but yeah definitely

and they're not alone there's a lot of us here at UCI people think like I'm

the only one

and I can't talk to my parents about it but there's a lot of was like to seek us out I'm sure they're like a person sitting next to you might be a

first-generation college student and I've notice that a lot because my professors have

been starting to ask, like who's a first generation college student and it was like the

whole class and so you know they're not alone and they could seek us out

anytime. Right sixty percent of us 60 percent of the undergraduate population

here is first-gen alright well thank you. Thank you.

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