Family and College Choice Podcast S191

The hosts of the podcast introduce themselves and discuss their backgrounds and experiences as UC Merced students. They talk about the challenges of balancing school and family responsibilities, particularly as first-generation students. They also discuss the importance of financial aid in their decision to attend UC Merced. They highlight the low representation of low-income students in higher education institutions and the pressure they feel to succeed for their families. They emphasize the concept of familismo and the unique experiences of first-generation Latinx students. They end the podcast by thanking their listeners and promoting their sponsor. Hi everyone, my name is Giselle Cuevas and I am one of your hosts for the podcast. I am a fourth year here at UC Merced with a major in sociology and a minor in public health. And you already know, I'm representing the Bay Area, more importantly Richmond, California. Hi everyone, it's your other host, Talia, I'm also a UC Merced student, I'm also graduating this semester. I have a major in sociology and a minor in public health. I'm from South Central LA and it's really good to be here today. Hello everyone, I'm one of your hosts, Ernesto. I'm a sociology major and I come from the Central Valley, from a really small town, nobody really knows of it. It's Lost Hills, California. I'm also part of the men's soccer team here at UC Merced, you know, shout me out whenever you see me out there. I've also got a famous Starbucks barista and a peer navigator here, so yeah. Hey, this is your other host, Claudia, I'm a fourth year at UC Merced. I'm majoring in sociology and I'm also in charge of El Club Español on campus and... Oh my God, guys, my mom's calling me. Hello? Giselle, mija, por fin me contestas. Oh my God. ¿Estás bien en el coma? I'm sorry, mom, but this isn't the best time, I'm like doing schoolwork right now. ¿Y eso qué tiene? You need to report to me, hon. Sorry, I forgot to tell you that I'm doing a podcast right now. I'm so sorry. Okay, but you owe me a call. Me tienes que regresar la llamada después de que acabes, okay? Okay, I'll call you later tonight, or if not tomorrow morning, I'll try to get you in on my schedule. I'm so sorry. Okay, pues ya dijiste. You already promised. Okay. Okay, bye. Love you. Love you. Love you, bye. Guys, I'm so, so, so sorry. You already know how moms can be, and I haven't been calling my mom lately because with finals and everything going on, it's just been hard to catch up with family and, like, you know, learn of the achievement over there and learn everything going on here, and it's just a lot to keep up, but, yeah, I'm so sorry, guys. That was a little bit embarrassing. Yeah, don't worry about it, Gigi. I feel like it happens to all of us. It sometimes happens to me when I'm at work, especially working at Starbucks. I get so many hours there, I don't really have a chance to really go on my phone. I just come after work, start working on my homework, so sometimes it gets hectic, and I sometimes feel guilty about it, but honestly, we have to remember that we're here to do schoolwork, and sometimes we can't be as involved as we used to be when we were living at home. Yeah, that happens to me, too. Sometimes I have my general meetings for my Spanish club, and my mom or my dad try to call me, and I can't really get to them because I'm in the middle of the meeting, and it makes me feel bad because usually from a Hispanic household, coming from a Hispanic family, you're supposed to answer your parents' phone call, but now that I'm more grown, I have to just not do it. It's just something that I have to just end the call and the text and be like, hey, I'll get to you later, but I know that feeling of feeling bad of not being able to talk to them as often as you used to. All right, all right, you guys. Since this is our first podcast, I wanted to play a little game so our audience could get to know us. This is basically, I'm going to throw you guys a couple questions. You guys say yes or no, and then if you guys want to elaborate on your answers, feel free. My first question is, who came to UC Merced because of the financial aid package? You know what? I'm not going to lie. I did. I feel as if UC Merced really offered the most help to me as a first-generation Latinx student just because I also got accepted to other UCs, and it's almost like if I didn't feel like I belonged there because they didn't make it accessible to me, UC Merced offered me a lot of financial aid, a lot of scholarship opportunities, and they were actually one of my favorite schools because of the Latinx representation. I think, yeah, that's the main reason that I chose UC Merced. Anyone else? Yeah, me too, as well. When choosing where I was going to transfer after that college, I was really interested in UC Merced because of the package it came with. One, it offered a lot of financial aid, like Talia was mentioning, and there's a lot of Latinx people here, which are part of my culture, and that's something that I can embrace. Me too. Me too. I also came for the financial aid. I know that even in Sac State, they didn't cover everything, so UC Merced was my go-to. Guys, I have a question. Are you guys Latinx? Yeah, I am. Yeah, me too. Okay. Yeah, me too. And just another question that topped my head. If you guys are first-gen, because I used to think that I wasn't first-gen because my older sister got her associate's degree back in the community college back home in Bakersfield, but after coming to UC Merced and being around so many first-generation students, I learned that I am actually a first-gen, as well, because my parents never went to college. They only went to high school. And that actually reminds me of Claudia. You're actually first-gen, right? Yeah, I'm the first one to go to college from both my mom and my dad, and I'm also the oldest. From four siblings. But, Ernesta, I remember when I was in high school, my senior year, I went to Sac State for a college fair, and there was a guy that told me that even though your siblings go to college, you're still considered a first-generation. It's just, if your parents go to college, then that's when you're a first-gen. Can I actually confess something to you guys right now? Yeah. What happened? I feel like, yes, I chose UC Merced for the package, but I also, to detach from my family, even if I had to leave my sisters, I feel like I had to leave for my mental health. Coming from a Hispanic family, wherever you go or wherever they go, you have to follow. And I know if I would have stayed home, I would have not exposed myself to new opportunities. So I thought UC Merced, since it was about two hours away, was going to give me the chance to grow and experience a new environment. Does anyone feel like that? Maybe you, Talia, since you're also the oldest? Actually, yes, Claudia. Like, I have felt that way before. As the oldest sister, I feel like at one point, especially what I went through with my family at one point, I felt like their second mom. I still feel like my sibling's second mom. And it almost felt like I was leaving my children behind, and it felt selfish because, I mean, I was going to come to a whole other, I mean, South Central is like four or five hours away from Merced. I was changing my environment. I was going to meet new people. I met, like, my best friends here. I met Giselle here. And it almost felt selfish, just kind of living my life in a way, away from them, knowing that my mom and my dad were stressing out with work. You know, they're my mom's house cleaner. My dad's a construction worker. And I just kind of felt like it also involved imposter syndrome because I just didn't feel like it was really my true self without my family being here with me. And so I feel like that's, like, a thing that a lot of us first-generation students feel. But I just feel like I would want to know what's a word for that because I would want to explain it in a word, and I feel like I ramble a lot about it, but I feel like there should be a word for that. Yeah, Talia, I definitely understand what you are saying as well as what Claudia was saying because as the oldest, like, you feel that. But I think I know what the word is. I think it's familismo, if I'm not wrong. Like, for me, for example, like, I come from a low-income family. Like, my dad's a painter back in the Bay Area, and he's our only income. And, you know, obviously, I had, like, little side jobs in high school, but it wasn't enough for me to pay for, like, $10,000 a semester out of, like, UCLA or UC Berkeley. And also, in my, like, family, like, my family is so close together that we just can't, like, you know, leave each other. And how Claudia said, like, in order for me to grow, like, I felt like I had to leave. But, yeah, again, you feel guilty leaving, like, your mom behind, leaving your younger siblings behind because you're like, wow, like, I'm over here trying to better myself. But, yeah, they're over there struggling. Okay, okay. It's time to shout out one of our favorite sponsors. We want to shout out Professor Yanglor for sponsoring today's episode. Go ahead and check out his newest book called Unequal Choices, How Social Class Shapes Where High Achieving Students Apply to College. And don't forget to use our discount code LAFAMILIA for some money off. For sure. Also, make sure to check out some of his other sponsorships through the Social191 channel. I heard they're talking about college costs and student debt next week. Now, that's something to definitely look into. Thank you, Professor Yanglor, for sponsoring this episode. You know what I've noticed? I can actually pinpoint two factors that determine you guys' experiences. One can be race and ethnicity, and the other can be SES status. That makes me believe that we are not alone when it comes to these experiences. Other students also feel like this. Did y'all know that only 13% of the high-achieving student population are low-income students? In the article by Yanglor, Social Class and Family Relationships, there was a study done in 2006 that showed this statistic. Wait, for real? Like, 13%? Osea, like, that's one of us. Yeah, but when it comes to nationals leading private colleges and universities, low-income students are only 10%. So, in reality, it's not only because of our race or ethnicity, but it's also our social class. I mean, it makes sense, but wow, we are barely represented in these big institutions. Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, how many of our parents went to college? Because not mine. Not mine either. If you think about it, many of our parents don't come from families that are, like, legacy families, quotation marks. I don't come from any. I don't know. Do you guys come from any? Mm-mm. Yeah, so I feel like they might even not have, like, a college alumni part of their social circles. I don't think my mom hangs out with someone who graduated from, like, Berkeley or something. Yeah, exactly. Like, we don't know lawyers or doctors. I really don't. I know my tamalera. Yeah, or the lady who, like, you know, sells, like, Mary-Kate. I get your point of view, Talia. We're not trying to discredit our parents, even though they don't know professionals or we don't have a legacy. This is why we're in college, to create one. Yeah, they worked hard, and their idea of succeeding was to make sure we had food on the table. We grew up seeing our parents sacrifice their lives to give us a better one, waking up very early, coming home late, not getting a day job, and even sometimes working two jobs at the same time. Yeah, with my parents, they've always told me to echar las ganas to pursue in school so I could get a better-paying job. For real. I feel like growing up, my mom would mention to me how she had her American dream and how it was her dream to see me graduate from college and become successful, and I feel like that's what I'm doing now. I'm going to literally graduate in May and make my mom's American dream come true. All of this is stressful. Like, I know our parents want the best for us, but there's definitely an underlying pressure there. Oh, totally. I feel that. Like, let's think about it. Do white people really go through this, or is it just us? Have any of you guys had a moment where you put your family before your own priorities? Definitely. All the time. And it's not that I don't want to be there for my family. Again, it doesn't come from a place of, like, malice. It's not like I don't like them, but it just gets hard to be the oldest of your family and be in a way. I just feel like I don't know how to differentiate college with my family without having to choose just one. Yeah, I get it. I have two younger siblings, sisters, and they call me every day, and it's either to help them or to help my parents. Yeah, the topic of being the oldest daughter in a Latinx or Hispanic household is a lot by itself, but at the fact that we are just in college and miles away from home. It's not just about being the oldest. I mean, I feel like even others can have it just as tough. For sure. And just to wrap this up, I think that at the end of the day, even though we come from different backgrounds, different counties, I know Klaus from Sac, Gigi's from Richmond, Ernesto's from Los Angeles, me being from South Central, even though we come from literally different places with different people around us, we all connect with one thing, and I feel like that's our college choice and familismo. And again, guys, thank you so much for tuning in to our podcast. Stay tuned for the next content coming in. Bye. Thank you, everybody. Thank you for listening to La Familia Podcast. Until the next episode.