First Generation Spotlight - Frederick Community College

Lisseth Bohorquez

First Generation Student

All the staff here at FCC have been so caring and understanding. They have provided a safe environment and are readily available anytime I need guidance. What does being the first in your family to go to college mean to you? Being the first to attend college in my family means a great deal to me. While there is always a bit of uncertainty that comes with being a first-generation student, I recognize this is bigger than me. My education is for my parents who sacrificed so much for my siblings and I. This is for my husband who has supported me every step of the way. This is for my community, especially the youth who struggle with their mental health. With a degree in psychology, I will be able to assist them and provide the resources critical to their success. Who has provided you with the most support so far at FCC? All the staff here at FCC have been so caring and understanding. They have provided a safe environment and are readily available anytime I need guidance. In particular, Professor Debra Morlier, because as soon as I stepped into her class my first semester she impacted me. Her love for psychology transcended onto her students. As the years have gone by, we have kept in communication and she is still offering help and support. What has been your greatest success so far at FCC? Due to the pandemic, I was not able to enjoy every bit that FCC had to offer. Nonetheless, I focused on my academics with great effort. Now that FCC is fully open, I am enjoying participating in extracurricular activities and meeting wonderful people. I am learning, growing, and acquiring knowledge through these interactions. As a result, I feel this, alongside my academic performance, has been my greatest success at FCC. How has being a first gen student influenced you? Being a first-generation student has influenced me tremendously. It is a daily reminder to stay disciplined and focused due to the weight that it carries. However, I do not view this as a burden, but rather a blessing. It has allowed me to develop an identity filled with boldness and courage, as it has pushed me outside my comfort zone. It has motivated and encouraged me to work hard and persevere. But most importantly, it has influenced me to continue making my family and my community proud. Read more

Christopher Bowers

First Generation Student

My greatest success would have to be meeting new people, meeting my girlfriend, and discovering new avenues for life. Read more

Dr. Chelsea Daggett

FCC Employee, Assistant Professor

I reach out more to first generation students because I understand that no one is beside them with the knowledge to help them figure out what resources are available to them. Read more

Danielle Duvall

FCC Employee, Assistant Director of Financial Aid Processing & Verification

Being first-generation helps break generational cycles and starts to create opportunity for future generations both in and outside of my family. What does being the first in your family to go to college mean to you? I have always been very grateful for the sacrifices that were made to give me the opportunity to go to college. I worked hard in school and was a decent student, but was always worried about making the finances work. My parents worked very hard to help and we took out student loans to make it work, but I learned a lot along the way that I have used to help other students realize their goals of college graduation. Being first-generation helps break generational cycles and starts to create opportunity for future generations both in and outside of my family. Who provided you with the most support while you attended college? On campus, my work study supervisors went above and beyond to make sure that I had the tools I needed to be successful both at work and as a student, which really inspired me to work in higher education after graduation. Off campus, my friends and family were always there to listen and be supportive whenever I needed them. What was your greatest success in college? Graduating! That was my end-goal, and I got there, which I am very proud of. Also, learning that plans can change and how to tackle the curveballs that being a student, and life in general, can throw at you was a very valuable lesson. There are a lot of ways to define success and it is okay to own your own definition of success and refine it along the way as needed. How has being a first-generation student influenced you? Being a first-generation college student has provided me with a unique perspective that allows me to really understand some of the stressors that my students face, and has given me some of the tools needed to be able to help students overcome those obstacles in creative ways so they can still make progress toward their unique education goals. Read more

Sabrina Hancock

First Generation Student

Being a first gen student has influenced me to do the best I can in my work and take advantage of every opportunity given to me. Read more

LaMont (Alex) Nowlin

First Generation Student

I never thought of the fact that I was the first college graduate in my immediate family until NOW. Read more

Amy Mabey

FCC Employee, Academic Office Manager

I am proud of my accomplishments and my hard work to reach my academic goals and know that this has set me up to reach new life goals. What does being the first in your family to go to college mean to you? Being the first person in my family to go to college means a lot of things to me. I’m not only a First Gen college graduate, but a First Gen high school graduate. I went to college right out of high school, but family circumstances were such that I felt I needed to help my family out financially at a time when they were struggling. Leaving school before graduation was the biggest regret of my life because I loved it so much. Although it took me decades to go back after life got in my way, I did it. I worked full-time and went to school part-time for six years, but I graduated from Ohio State University in May 2022 with a degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Going back to school and graduating proves to me that I have the ability to do difficult things and to reach any goal I set for myself. Who provided you with the most support while you attended college? I received support from so many people – my coworkers, my friends, my family who gave me encouragement in those times when I doubted I could do it. They reminded me of how much I had already accomplished. My professors were also fabulous. They mentored me with my writing, gave excellent feedback on my work, and encouraged me to be brave and submit my work for publication. Are there any lessons or skills you learned while at FCC that you use in your professional life today? Many. During my time working in a local restaurant and catering I relied heavily on my culinary education; during my time as an instructor and graduate student I relied heavily on the nutrition information I learned in my culinary program. What was your greatest success in college? There were so many things I accomplished while working on my degree. Academically, I graduated Magna Cum Laude and was nominated for the Outstanding Senior English Major award. I had my work, writing and visual art – published in literary journals. I was a finalist to speak at one of the graduation ceremonies for a speech I wrote about never being too old or too scared to change your life when it no longer fits you. My greatest success though is the example I tried to set for my stepchildren and someday for my grandchildren about the importance of educating yourself and perseverance when you think you want to give up. How has being a first-generation student influenced you? I get to talk, every day, about the things about which I'm passionate. Why do you think it is important that Frederick has a strong community college like FCC? Being a First Gen student and graduate has gotten me here. It has changed my life because it has allowed me to change my life. It has given me confidence. It has sparked intellectual curiosity. It has given me courage. I am proud of my accomplishments and my hard work to reach my academic goals and know that this has set me up to reach new life goals. Read more

Dr. Kevin Martin

FCC Employee, Senior Researcher

It meant a lot for me personally to be able to show the strong women in my life (my mother and grandmother) that I could succeed beyond high school. What does being the first in your family to go to college mean to you?

I never really thought about the fact that I was a first generation college student. My mother put me through a private, Catholic school where most of us went to college after graduation. Because of my peers, it just felt natural to go to college. It wasn’t until I was finishing my master’s degree that it really occurred to me that I was the first in my family to go to college/university. It meant a lot for me personally to be able to show the strong women in my life (my mother and grandmother) that I could succeed beyond high school. Education was always important for them, and it made me proud to be able to do something that they could not do themselves because of life circumstances.

Who provided you with the most support while you attended college?

Looking back on it, I realize that there were some things that were not natural for me when I first started my post-secondary education. I had to navigate the FAFSA on my own, apply for school and choose where I wanted to go, navigate taking out loans, etc. While I was able to navigate all of this, it was not second nature for me, and I didn’t really have anyone in my family who understood it. I have to say that I had a lot of support including friends who helped me navigate through it while in school.

What was your greatest success in college?

I finished! It was an exciting time for me working on my undergrad. It was very informative for me personally I learned a lot about myself. I would not trade it for anything. I would recommend that anyone who needs advice remember that there are barriers that arise in life, but you have to continue to persevere through them. You can do it too, and remember that there are others around you who care about you (even if you don’t know them yet) who are here to help you!

How has being a first-generation student influenced you? I realized very early on that I wanted to help others around me who might not know the ins and outs of higher education. After completing college, I started teaching English for speakers of other languages, and I realized how lucky we are in this country to have such quality education. Even though not everyone knows how to navigate in higher education, knowing who to talk to, knowing where to go, and knowing what to ask can all be scary at first. However, it is attainable. Where I can, I always try to help out by giving advice, or even in my current role, by bringing another lens to how we talk about higher education at FCC.

Happily, I can’t say that I’m the only one in my family to go to college. My brother just finished his associate degree and is planning on continuing his bachelor’s degree. I can’t take all of the credit, but I was able to give him advice now that his big brother had gone through all of it.
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Shemica Sheppard

FCC Employee, Associate Professor

Something that I have learned is that life is not easy, and it's even harder without an educational foundation. What does being the first in your family to go to college mean to you? Being the first to go to college in my family means that I can change the trajectory of my life. My parents had me at a very young age, and I knew that I did not want to follow that same path. I knew that I wanted to do something different. I am the first-born granddaughter on both sides of my family and also the first to attend college. Many of my cousins have followed suit and I am proud to be the one the led the way. It was a major accomplishment in my family for me not only to graduate from college but from graduate school as well. Who provided you with the most support while you attended college? Many people contributed to my support while embarking on the life of a college student. One of my aunts did attend college and she and I are close, so she was the first person I called for everything. I can also say that I had the pleasure of studying under some dynamic professors over the years who not only supported me but "stayed on me" to make sure that I did what needed to be done in order to graduate. I attended an HBCU and I will admit that the love I received from professors was different from when I attended a PWI for graduate school. They made me believe that I could do anything! In addition to those professors, other students and I worked together to make sure that we stayed on track. We checked each other and became responsible for each other's success. Many of us are still in contact today! What was your greatest success in college? My greatest success in college was simply graduating! Many that I came in with that fall of 1995 did not make it. They could not handle the pressure. Honestly, I'm surprised I made it though. There were some hard days when I wanted to give up, both in undergrad and graduate school. Thank goodness for my friends as we were all going through the same thing. We would vent to each other and then get back to work. We always had to get back to work! How has being a first gen student influenced you? I would say that being a first gen student made me work harder. I knew I had to walk across that stage. I knew that I was not doing it only for me, but for my parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and siblings and my future children. I knew that it was not about me and that my family worked hard to get me there and keep me there. That's the thing. It wasn't just about getting me there, but about making sure I stayed the course. So anytime I called home crying, I got the pep talk I needed to fight another day. It was not easy! But something that I have learned is that life is not easy, and it's even harder without an educational foundation. So I am blessed to have had the opportunity to attend college and my kids now have a model, an advocate, and someone to motivate them to be great! Read more

Sareen Tatarian

First Generation Student

Being the first to go to college means being able to fulfill an opportunity that my parents always wished they had for themselves.
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Klaire Williams

FCC Employee, Retention Specialist

Being a first-generation student set the framework for me to be independent and goal oriented. Read more