First-generation college students—those who are the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree—often feel like they are experiencing college differently from their peers as they pioneer a new path. While they face unique challenges, these students are not alone—they have the support of Penn State Behrend faculty and staff, including those who themselves are first-generation college graduates.
Read on for success stories and advice from first-generation faculty and staff members.
Jeffery Barber
Penn State Behrend graduate
As the eldest of four children within my family, I was the first to attend college. My parents, who married young, both entered the workforce after high school and began our family. It wasn’t until after I began college that my mom actually enrolled in school and began her journey as an adult learner. While she may have beat me to the finish line with her associate degree, I still hold the titles for first to attend college and the only person in my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, as well as a master’s degree.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
Probably my parents and grandparents. Several generations in my family worked extremely hard to provide the opportunity for my siblings, cousins, and me to achieve dreams that they weren't able to achieve when they were younger.
What was your biggest challenge?
I'd have to say the desire to go to college. Coming from a rural, small-town environment, several of my friends didn't enroll in higher education after high school. Leaving friends and family "behind" to start a new journey was difficult. I definitely struggled, especially my first year, with wanting to go home every weekend and with being away from people I cared about.
What do you wish you knew then?
Oh, there's a lot I wish I knew then! Top of the list: How time flies and to appreciate each and every second you have on campus. It's going to be gone in the blink of an eye, and there are definitely days that I wish I was still a student and not an adult.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Definitely my degrees. In 2010 I obtained my B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from Penn State Behrend. And in 2015, I graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction.
Jeffery Barber is the College for Kids coordinator in Youth Education Outreach.
Terry Blakney
Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate
I was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. My father was a welder at West Penn Power, and my mother was a cashier at a grocery store. I was encouraged by my parents to go to college and make a better life for myself as a teacher.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
My high school math teacher Mr. Sysyn was a great influence in my pursuit of math as he challenged us to do our best in his classroom.
What was your biggest challenge?
Finances were my biggest challenge, but I had received some scholarships to help me pay my way through school. I also worked over the summers at West Penn Power.
What do you wish you knew then?
I wish I had taken a finance class to help make informed decisions on my future earnings.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Leaving the area and going to University of South Florida to get my graduate degree.
Terry Blakney is an associate professor of statistics.
Caitlyn Catalfu
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford graduate
Neither of my parents went to college. They both started work right out of high school and have stayed employed at those same business all this time. They worked hard to get to where they are. I wanted to make them proud of my hard work, so going to college was something I felt I had to do. I won't lie and say it wasn't challenging at first, but reaching out for help allowed me to do well and find a sense of belonging on my campus.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
Resources, especially Student Success and Advising. I was fortunate to work closely with an adviser in TRIO Student Support Services at my college. Her name was Carma, and I truly do not think I would have been able to be as successful and persist if it wasn't for my relationship with her and her support. She inspired me to want to be an adviser.
What was your biggest challenge?
Imposter syndrome, not feeling like I was capable or good enough, and fear of letting my family down.
What do you wish you knew then?
That the only thing that was holding me back was myself, and that I am capable of doing the hard things and reaching goals.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Graduating on-time, being the first in my family with a degree, and going on to be the first in my family to obtain a master’s degree.
Caitlyn Catalfu is an academic adviser in Exploratory and Pre-Major Advising.
Matthew Ciszek
University at Buffalo–SUNY graduate
I am the first person on both sides of my extended family (my mom is one of nine and my dad is one of seven) to pursue an undergraduate education and graduate with a bachelor's degree.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
My dad really pushed for me to go to college and was really excited about my future. Unfortunately, he passed away my last year of high school, but I persevered because I knew how much it meant to him.
What was your biggest challenge?
Navigating the college experience, especially living away from home, financial matters, and the like without anyone in my family who blazed a trail ahead of me.
What do you wish you knew then?
How to manage time more effectively and balance fun with work and study.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Finishing my master's degree and attaining tenure and promotion as a faculty member at Penn State.
Matthew Ciszek is director of Lilley Library.
Jim Dowds
Gannon University graduate
Growing up, I had no plans on going to college. It was never thought of, discussed, or mentioned in my family. During my senior year of high school, a friend of the family suggested to me that I try out for a public relations touring band that was part of a college in Villanova. I was a drummer, and this seemed like a great idea. My audition was a success. I earned a spot on the public relations band, got accepted to the college and received a scholarship. The summer before college, I hit the road with the college band. We traveled to high schools and summer camps across thirteen states playing music for potential students and promoting our school. It was a wonderful experience! However, reality hit me hard the first week of classes. I realized how unprepared I was for college. But with encouragement from my mother, hope and peace that came from my faith, and lots of hard work, I successfully graduated with a bachelor's degree and soon graduated with my master’s.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
My mother and my faith.
What was your biggest challenge?
Finances and lack of college preparation.
What do you wish you knew then?
College services exist to aid you.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Receiving my college degrees.
Jim Dowds is a counselor at Behrend's Counseling Center.
Erica Edwards
Penn State Behrend graduate
My mother and father met in a foam factory where they were both working. They both had their high school diplomas but chose not to further their education beyond that. I can remember from an early age my mother telling me I had to go to college so that I didn't get stuck with a job that I hated like she did. She did start pursuing an associate degree when I was still in high school, but she took 10 years to finish that degree and didn't graduate with her associate degree until I graduated with my B.A. in psychology. Now I am a professor. Working with students is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
I got involved in a research lab in my freshman year and continued to work with the faculty in that lab until I graduated. The skills I learned from this experience and the connections I made because of the opportunities presented to me by the faculty in this lab have shaped my success in more ways than I can describe.
What do you wish you knew then?
I wish I would have had a better understanding of student debt and the decisions I was making around student loans. I especially wish I would have known how quickly student loan payments would start after school and how much money I was going to need monthly just to pay my minimum payments. I had a lot of stress around my debt and not a whole lot of support from home, because student debt was new for our family.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment as student was being able to present our lab's research posters at professional conferences. That experience gave me a lot of confidence in my graduate program. My proudest accomplishment as a professor is the work of my students. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing them meet their goals, get excited about their work, and make progress towards their career goals.
Erica Edwards is an assistant teaching professor of psychology.
Lisa Jo Elliott
University of Arizona graduate
I come from a farm family on one side and a steelworker family on the other. Both sides of the family valued education highly but never had the money for college. By a twist of fate, I received a Pell Grant and lots of student loans to fund my undergraduate degree. I worked incredibly hard, studying late into the night and doing all of the extra credit, always. When I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I remember seeing my grandmother in the stands crying. She had only an eighth-grade education.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
The TRIO program and my grandmother.
What was your biggest challenge?
Finding enough time to study.
What do you wish you knew then?
I should have kept my class notes after I graduated. I did not realize at the time that I was taking classes from some of the greatest minds in the field.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My students.
Lisa Jo Elliott is an associate professor of psychology.
Jim Gavio
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania graduate
I grew up in a family with parents who are the first generation born in America. They did not go to college but wanted their kids to if possible. I applied but did not really know what to expect and was unfamiliar with the road ahead. There was nobody in my family to give me advice on what to expect. The only day-to-day support I had was my twin brother who attended college simultaneously, so at least we went though it together.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
My mother was a driving force behind me going to college, and my brother and I helped each other. I also wanted to better myself and do something that I liked with my future.
What was your biggest challenge?
Understanding how the college process works.
What do you wish you knew then?
I wish I knew how important it is to meet with professors when you have questions.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Obviously graduating and being able to get a job doing what I enjoy and what I went to college to study.
Jim Gavio is director of Yahn Planetarium.
Tracy Halmi
Penn State graduate
My great-grandparents were immigrants. My grandparents were service workers. My parents went to tech school. And now I’m a college professor.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
My academic adviser, who helped me navigate a later start my first semester.
What was your biggest challenge?
Funds.
What do you wish you knew then?
Homework and time out of class are essential.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Delivering the commencement address at Penn State Behrend’s Spring 2014 commencement ceremony.
Tracy Halmi is an associate teaching professor of chemistry.
Amy James
Penn State Behrend graduate
I am the first and only one in my family to not only earn a bachelor’s degree but also a master’s degree and post-graduate certifications. I have been in the field of education for over twenty-five years.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
My psychology professors and admissions counselor Melissa Grimm encouraged me every step of the way.
What was your biggest challenge?
Finances and not having the support at home to help financially and academically.
What do you wish you knew then?
Not to start credit card debt. It was how I was able to live but it took forever to get rid of.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Raising three children who will now have the option to be Penn Staters. My first son will graduate this spring.
Amy James is the disability services coordinator in the Office of Educational and Diversity Programs.
Fatima Pereira Kelly
Mercyhurst University graduate
I am a first-generation American and a first-generation college graduate. Both of my parents did not complete middle school in Portugal. My father worked in a paper factory and my mother watched children at home. My sister went to college but dropped out to get married after two years.
I was the first to go to college and graduate, and the first to go away to college. It was a culture shock leaving home and being surrounded by people who had grown up very differently than I had grown up and it was hard to be away from family. I remember feeling like someone made a mistake and I did not belong there.
I worked sixty hours a week while going to school full time and graduated in three years. It was hard and I was sleep deprived and exhausted, but I made it and was so proud of myself.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
My family was very helpful. Their belief in me and their encouragement helped me to keep moving forward.
What was your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge was a lack of money. My second biggest challenge was not wanting to ask for help. I wanted to prove that I did belong and that I could do it all on my own, so I often made things harder by not asking and not accepting available assistance.
What do you wish you knew then?
I wish I knew that resources were available and that others were also struggling.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment academically is completing my undergrad in three years while working sixty hours a week and remaining debt free, and then completing my master’s degree in one year, and getting into my doctoral program. Overall, my proudest accomplishment is my children and my relationship with my family that remains strong even though we all live far apart.
Fatima Pereira Kelly is a student advocacy specialist in the Division of Student Affairs.
Andrea Myers
West Virginia University graduate
I am from a single parent household, growing up in a rented house in a low-income neighborhood. To cope with my household disruption (I was 12 years old when my parents divorced), I found myself delving into school. I always did well in school, got good grades, and in about high school could see that one of the ways that I could help myself move forward was to go to college.
In 1983, I started at West Virginia University in the College of Engineering. My high school boyfriend's dad suggested engineering because I was very good at math and science. He suggested that I would get a job immediately after earning my degree. He was right.
In September of my senior year of college, I was offered at job as a mechanical engineer at Westinghouse, where I worked for nearly seven years before staying home with my children for almost twenty years. I just celebrated my 12th year at Penn State.
While every story is different, my college degree and my husband's college degree (in electrical engineering from Pitt) were some of the best decisions either of us have ever made, and possibly the greatest financial investment in our future. Also, we have broken the cycle in the lives of the next generation—all of our five children have earned at least an undergraduate degree.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
My high school boyfriend's dad and his advice. I am grateful for him.
What was your biggest challenge?
Pursing a degree in mechanical engineering was very challenging. That is a very difficult major.
What do you wish you knew then?
It is OK to change your mind—to change direction on the way to earning your degree. Listen to wise counsel, including what other people say you are good at. You don't always see it in yourself. Part of earning a college degree is learning more about yourself.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Before my children, my proudest moment was earning my undergraduate degree in engineering. Now this side of life, it is my five children. I do think because my husband and I chose to move out of the lifestyle and neighborhood where we grew up, that has helped shape the future of my children and now their children.
Andrea Myers is assistant director of stewardship and alumni relations in the Development and Alumni Relations office.
Alice Puzarowski
Penn State Behrend graduate
I started college right after high school. I was burnt out from college prep class in my senior year and didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. My parents weren't a big help because they had always known what they wanted to be from an early age. My mother was an operating room nurse, and my father was in manufacturing. They couldn't understand why I didn't have it all figured out.
After four years and no degree, I started working and thought a degree was out of my reach.
I got married, had a family, and worked for several businesses. Along the way, I always wondered where I would be if I had finished my degree. Then, in 2015, I started a position at the Black School of Business at Behrend. I was back at the college I had left twenty years ago. I loved my work, interacting with faculty and students, and being exposed to learning.
After a couple of years, I thought, how could I tell students that it was vital for them to finish their degree when I hadn't done it myself? So, in 2018, I met with Jane Brady, Behrend's registrar, and updated all my credits. To my surprise and joy, I could complete a Bachelor of Arts in General Arts and Science with only five classes—two electives and three levels of Spanish.
That fall, I took my first class, and I was hooked. My degree was conferred in May 2020. The pandemic crushed my dreams of walking across the stage to receive my degree, but only temporarily. In May 2022, I joined the current graduating class and had my moment.
My friends and colleagues greeted me as I celebrated my achievement. I also started my journey toward a master's in project management that spring. I will complete my degree in the summer of 2025.
From a first-generation undergraduate student to a first-generation master's student, who knows where my next adventure will take me?
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
The encouragement of family, friends, and colleagues was critical in my success, not to mention that I remembered how much I loved to learn.
What was your biggest challenge?
Learning a new way to study. It is so different transitioning from high school to college. Plus realizing that tutoring is not just for when you are struggling. It can be a great tool to boost your confidence when you are doing well, too.
What do you wish you knew then?
There are so many more jobs out there than you think. Don't be afraid to try a unique or interesting class. It may be the right fit for you.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest academic accomplishment was when I was accepted into graduate school two years ago. The only thing that will be better is when I graduate next summer.
Alice Puzarowski is a proposal and award generalist in the Grants and Contracts Office.
Kim Raines
Penn State Behrend graduate
I am the first college graduate in my family. I received my first degree (an associate degree) in 1991 at the age of 21 as an emancipated minor fully supporting myself while in school. I accepted my first job at Saint Vincent Hospital and walked from my apartment to work for about six months.
After twenty years in practice, I earned my bachelor of science in Nursing degree from Penn State Behrend and have since gone on to receive my doctorate in nursing practice from the University of Pittsburgh.
I can definitely appreciate the challenges of choosing to set out on an unknown path in search of a better way and a dream! It was hard, but there is help to be had and a way forward if you’re willing to work diligently and stay focused on the outcome.
What or who was the most helpful to you in achieving your degree?
I connected with a professor at the community college I earned my first degree from and she has remained a lifelong friend. She is a good listener and had an appreciation for how hard I was working against the odds. She gave me the encouragement I so desperately needed. She served as a mentor, which was critical.
What was your biggest challenge?
For me, it was supporting myself and also maintaining positive self-talk. I needed to remind myself of what I was capable of despite some difficult circumstances.
What do you wish you knew then?
I wish I knew sooner that connecting with others could result in beautiful lifelong friendships born of journeys shared, despite the differences.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment is owning the results I have earned personally and professionally—the rough stuff and the good stuff. To add to that, I appreciate the opportunities to be the help someone else needs on their journey in order to realize their dreams, too. That is fulfilling!
Kim Raines is an assistant teaching professor of nursing.