A Look Into the First-Generation Experience at Cal Poly

Over 30% of individuals who attend college in the United States identify as first-generation students. Yet, this experience can often feel isolating and stressful due to the demands of higher education. This week, we sat down with Sierra Asmussen, a 2019 first-generation OCOB grad. She currently works as a Business Process Manager at Blueboard and passed along some of her wisdom to the Career Peer Advisor team!

Q: What was the process of deciding to go to college like for you?

A: My parents had always ingrained in me that I was going to go to college, so growing up that is always what I was working towards. They also put me in a lot of extracurriculars in order to boost my chances of receiving scholarship funding.

Q: What was the hardest aspect of being a first generation student at Cal Poly & how did you combat this?

A: The hardest aspect of being first-generation was understanding the whole college process (applying, student orientation, what classes to take and when, etc.) and not knowing where to turn to with these specific questions. Choosing a major and understanding the importance of that choice was also something I struggled with.

Q: Do you believe being first-generation has impacted your perspective on professional development? If so, how?
A: I think so, I definitely think that I didn't understand the different routes and strategies people take to set themselves up for success in their careers. Such as people choosing specific majors in order to boost their GPA before applying to law school, if an MBA program is worth the cost, etc. I also think that as a woman and first-generation, the imposter syndrome when entering the workforce was difficult to overcome; however, it also makes me feel extremely proud to remember where I come from and how far I've come!

Q: If you could go back to your freshman year and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

A: Success looks different to everyone, and you don't know you're not interested in something until you learn about it/try it! Take the stats class you think looks scary, practice all the soft skills, apply for the funky startup internship!

If you have any questions about professional development, ways to connect with first-generation Cal Poly alumni, or anything else that is career-related, please feel free to stop by the Career Readiness Center!