Joe Hicks

Joe Hicks grew up in a small town in Wyoming and had parents who worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. He didn't initially consider attending college but changed his mind in his junior year of high school. He chose Montana State University and despite feeling out of place during orientation, he found support from people who believed in him. Joe had to navigate the challenges of being a first-generation college student, including financial struggles and lack of guidance from his parents. He found his place by getting involved in clubs and organizations on campus and eventually decided to pursue a major in secondary education. Joe encourages other first-generation students to ask questions, seek support, and take risks. He wants them to know they are not alone and can be successful. Hello, my name is Joe Hicks and I grew up just outside of Moose, Wyoming in a two-bedroom log cabin built in the 40s in a private innholding in Grand Teton National Park. This was company housing through my dad's work. In the summers, he was a river guide in the Snake River initially and went on to become the manager of the float trip company there working for Triangle X Ranch for 30 years. It was a bit surreal. You had the view of the Grand Tetons almost directly across for each day you woke up. It was also fairly small quarters as I had a younger brother and sister, myself in one bedroom and my parents in the other. Growing up there definitely was very centered on the outdoors and my parents worked exceptionally hard. The environment of Jackson is very much a tourist industry and so neither of my parents went to college and so what I really noticed early on was just kind of the work ethic component. Both my mom and dad carried at least two jobs, sometimes three. They always made sure that one of them was home with us, but it was rarely having all five of us at home at the same time. It's just kind of the nature of it is you went from kind of seasonal work, as I mentioned, my dad being a river guide in the summer to being a snowmobile guide in the winter. My mom worked waitstaff, cleaning cabins, t-shirt shop, you name it, whatever it took to make ends meet. And so while it was a fairly modest living, we certainly never went without kind of the basic necessities and certainly felt that love and support. And I think that really kind of speaks to the idea of being a first-generation college student is certainly my parents were supportive of, but really lacked any understanding or awareness or background on it and so couldn't really be looked to or relied upon for advice and guidance. So I had to look elsewhere. I really never considered attending college, perhaps up until maybe spring of my junior year. I think it kind of came with the first time of taking the ACT, SAT and seeing all of my peers around me seemed to be thinking about going to college. I had considered just kind of working after high school, saving up money, but didn't really have a real direction per se. And so as I kind of embarked on the college search, I took a look at some universities in the area, Wyoming, University of Idaho, University of Montana, Montana State, and visited each. And I'll say that Montana State initially was just so incredibly welcoming and that continued throughout, just kind of that personalized outreach. I really felt like it would be more than a number. And so I got excited as that summer orientation kind of emerged. However, upon arriving for orientation, everything outwardly went well, but I do know that kind of by the end of that first day, I distinctly remember sitting in the parking lot outside of Roski Hall with the keys and the ignition ready to turn around and head home. I just really kind of felt like I just couldn't cut it and couldn't make it, that I was kind of out of place and that perhaps I needed to take a different path in life. Something kept me there and I will kind of say what ultimately persisted was so many individuals on the MSU campus who believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself. And so through a number of just kind of that, the struggles of just kind of maybe not having that awareness, like you said, from my parents, that lack of confidence, and then also the financial piece. I'm just kind of cobbling together various kind of student loans, FAFSA, scholarships, et cetera, just to make ends meet as an out-of-state student. I really had found my place first with my RA, Resident Advisor, and then the Assistant Resident Director who advised the RHA in South Edges Hall, really kind of gave me some footing and encouraged me to become part of RHA, which really kind of led me on a path I had never envisioned, and that was one of extensive student involvement in clubs and organizations. It's really where I found my home to kind of complement my academics, because when I first came to MSU, I was, at the time it was called General Studies, now it's University Studies, really undecided. It wasn't a lack of not having anything of interest, it was having too many interests. That's actually where I remained for almost my first two years in college, until my advisor, at the time Mary Knoll, encouraged me to pick a major and helped me kind of connect the dots of my interest working with students, but also in the idea of the social studies realm. And so I decided to commit to secondary education, social studies, broad field, and really kind of encourage anyone in first generation kind of circumstances to don't hesitate to ask questions. That was something that I think was a mistake on my part, I kind of felt, seemed like everyone knew the answers, and as a result, I didn't want to stand out in a bad way, and so I oftentimes held onto questions that had I asked them a little bit earlier, I would have been that much further ahead, instead of kind of learning the hard way. So based on what I had shared about the involvement piece, really encourage students to find a club, an organization, or even just events that are being put on in the residence halls or otherwise, to really kind of just build that social support that may not be there as a first generation student, particularly in my case, I really didn't know anyone who came from my small town, or at least we're not close in terms of during high school, and so I kind of had to find my own way, but the clubs and organizations really helped to kind of build that so that I had some people to fall back on and kind of converse with outside of kind of the formal class setting. And don't be afraid to change, to take a risk. Oftentimes as first generation students, I think we're in a space of vulnerability where we feel we have to just kind of play it safe, because there isn't that kind of maybe safety net to fall back on. However, I really found with time that the resources, whether it's your college advisors, your RAs, somewhere like Office of Student Engagement or the Allen Urinal Center for Student Success is really all there to support you and to help you kind of get on that path that ultimately is going to best serve you as a student and as an up and coming professional. And so in my parting words, just know as a first generation student that you're not alone, that so many individuals are here to support you in your department, in the college, the university, and in the community, and that ultimately, no matter how much maybe doubt reservation or other kind of questions you might have, that you can do this. You can be successful, and you'll serve as an inspiration for countless others that follow. Thank you.