First-Generation Student Spotlight

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What led you to college?

I knew early on that I wanted to make a difference in my community, and I was drawn to questions of equity, education, and public policy. That kind of work required a college education. Nobody in my family had taken that path, so the decision came from me.

What did your family understand, and not understand?

My father kept asking why I wanted to go to college. He didn’t see the point. My parents told me they had not considered college, so I would need to pay for most of it on my own. I had to make the case to myself because I couldn’t count on anyone else to make it for me. That questioning made me more determined.

Was there a moment you felt you didn’t belong?

The feeling ran through most of my undergraduate years. I never doubted that I belonged intellectually; I could do the work. What I lacked was the social knowledge of how that world operated, the unspoken norms my classmates seemed to have absorbed long before they arrived. I made a habit of pushing myself: speaking up in class, introducing myself to professors, taking on opportunities that felt like a stretch. Over time, the sense of not belonging gave way to a conviction that I had earned my place.

What made the biggest difference?

Service work. As an undergraduate at Providence College, I helped establish the Feinstein Institute for Public Service. Working alongside community members gave me a clear sense of purpose. Instead of worrying about whether I fit in, I could concentrate on work that felt meaningful. It set me on the path toward a career in education and public policy.

Is being first-gen something you lead with?

People are usually surprised to learn it. With a PhD and a career in higher education and policy, people assume I grew up with a roadmap. I share it more often now, especially with students, because it helps them to know that someone in front of the classroom has walked a similar path.

What has your degree made possible?

Finishing college opened every door that followed: a master’s from Duke and a PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill; work in the U.S. Senate and at the GAO; shaping education policy with Governor Jim Hunt; a faculty role at Stonehill College; and now teaching and mentoring doctoral students at Northeastern. The degree my father once questioned became the foundation for a career devoted to education and public service, and a different starting point for my own children.

I want institutions to make the hidden curriculum visible so that success doesn’t depend on what you happened to learn at home.

William Ewell

What would you tell a first-gen student just starting out?

You belong here, even when it doesn’t feel that way. Not knowing the unwritten rules says nothing about your ability; they can be learned. You also don’t need everyone around you to understand why you’re doing this. Know your own reasons, and come back to them when it gets hard.