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>> A first-generation student means
having a brave heart.
>> I feel it's a lot of responsibility.
You got to be ready for it. I mean, you're the
first one.
>> I always see my family just working
hard, like, day after day, night after night. So
I just, like, want to be able to go to college,
get my education and just, like, be so successful
that they don't have to work anymore.
>> I have the [indiscernible] to go to
college and I have [indiscernible] to accomplish
something greater.
>> It's not a joke, like, this really
is your escape route, like. You can do anything
with this thing.
>> The first challenge I felt that I
had was when I got here I didn't know anyone. I
didn't know who I could relate to.
>> I remember in soc. class I read Argo
ten times and I still didn't know what it means.
And it's probably because I grew up in a family
where we didn't speak English, my parents didn't
speak English, so the only time I actually spoke
English was in school.
>> In Nigeria it's very, very hot and
here it's very, very cold, so it's very
discomforting for me. I had almost like the
first week I spent here I was coming out with
five layers of clothing every day.
>> I stayed in my shell and I didn't
really speak to anyone. That's not me at all.
But I learned how to be myself and to understand
that there's people here that I can call a
family.
>> There is organization like Story
Project where you have mentoring programs, people
that have been to this road already and know how
to overcome.
>> Find resources. Honestly, like,
there's so many people out there that can help.
And if there's a will there's a way. Like, if
you want something, you got to fight for it.
It's always going to be like that. So you just
need to, like, motivate yourself to always do
better, never let obstacles get in your way.
>> Coming in college as a freshman you
don't know really how to manage your time, and so
you have all these obstacles coming towards you.
So I recommend you manage your time and just
connect with people, make great friends. Because
you'll be with them the rest of your life.
>> Get out of your comfort zone,
because once you do that you learn so much. You
learn so many things about different people;
their culture, how the world is, like, the real
world, how it works. And you find yourself in
the end.
>> At the end of the day or at the end
of it all I know what I want and I always go
after what I want no matter what.
>> Be yourself.
>> Be yourself.
>> The most advice I can give you is be
yourself and surround yourself with people who
are going to support you, and not only support
you, support you with everything, including your
school work.
>> You made it here, so what's the
point of leaving? You made it here, so it's time
to go. If you made it this far, there's no need
to look back anymore. Just know where you're
going. Find where your spot is. And just --
just do you.