Eli Karkowski said he thinks it is a good thing he came to college as a first-generation student, because it has helped him figure out things on his own and not to rely on others.
“It’s been a learning experience, if nothing else,” he said. “It has helped build me as a person much more than I think, if I had someone hold my hand the whole way.”
Karkowski, a freshman studying astrophysics, said neither of his parents went to college, so this experience is new for his family.
“I didn’t have a lot of advice coming in, but OU has given me great opportunities and great help to get me through my first year of college,” he said.
Karkowski said OU has given him walkthroughs on everything from scheduling class to joining extracurricular activities.
When it comes to explaining his college-life to his family, he does not find it difficult.
“My mom understands, but there is definitely more pressure,” Karkowski said. “They expect so much more out of me, because they didn’t get this opportunity.”
Caleb Fouts, a freshman studying history education, said he has enjoyed his first year at OU, as a first-generation student — partly because he has been able to find others who are in the same situation.
Barbara Wharton, associate provost of the Office of Institutional Research, said about 22 percent of OU’s student population were first generation students in 2016, and the number has fluctuated in the past five years.
“I’ve made friends with a lot of first-generation students,” Fouts said. “We kind of connect because we are first generation, but at the same time I don’t think there are any barriers. I have just as many non-first generation friends.”
Fouts said he had more advantages than disadvantages, as a first-generation student.
“One advantage is that (OU) goes out of their way to make sure a first-generation student succeeds and they give an environment for us to thrive,” he said. “I think being a first-generation student in a sense for me, has been an advantage, because I’ve used the help to further myself by using the tools that they give us.”
Fouts was inspired to go to college by one of his high school history teachers, who was also a first-generation student.
“He has overcome a lot of obstacles in his life,” Fouts said. “Knowing that he can overcome them gives me the confidence to do the very same thing, since he inspired me to be a history major in the first place.”
Angela Lash, associate director of the Allen Student Advising Center and director of Ohio First Scholars, said being a first-generation student is something to be proud of and something the university is proud of too.
“Many of these students are doing something incredible for themselves and their family, and it is a huge accomplishment,” she said.
