A First Generation College Graduate
A first generation latina
Making it out the ‘hood
And attending a prestigious university.
She comes back home,
With a degree in hand,
Walking the streets
That tried to trap her.
Myth.
Fictitious.
Not possible.
People chant proudly
About first generation
Minority students.
But the sad reality is,
Many don’t make it past their first year
At university.
They’re coming from underfunded,
Underrepresented,
Underperforming,
And overlooked
High schools and communities.
The reality is,
Their school never intended
For them to go to college,
Especially one as hard,
Or as decorated
As the one they chose.
But we all dream.
We have to see for ourselves,
If this is fake.
We chanted “Bloody Mary”
In the darkness of our bathroom,
Unsure if the frightening legend
Would be true.
So we go to college,
Navigating through our four
Or five years
In darkness,
Unsure if we’ll make it out alive.