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Dear First Gen, The #coronavirus turned the world upside down. Academic institutions were rocked by a sudden public health emergency and were encouraged to shutdown to mitigate the spread of the virus. Colleges and universities canceled in-person classroom instruction and switched to online/distance learning. Students who never took an online course were forced to learn in this way and communicate with professors through online platforms. The coronavirus pandemic also changed the structure of graduation ceremonies, summer placements, and athletic trainings. The lives of ALL students were abruptly altered. Students reacted in so many ways by changing how the process new information, study, organize, connect with fellow classmates, apply to internships, interview, and etc. We interviewed three students and asked them to share their perspective on how they are reacting to #COVID19. Our guests and topics were:
At the end of the interview series, the conversation weaved into a theme of balancing school obligations and personal needs. Click on the images below to watch the interviews. Enjoy! Fellow Riser, Irnande
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Dannielle is the founder of First Gen Money, a financial literacy company that focuses on the first-generation population, those who are first to graduate from college or build wealth in the U.S. Dannielle hopes to empower and educate Latinas in their money journeys.
Born and raised Jersey girl with Ecuadorian immigrant parents, Dannielle graduated from Rutgers University in 2015 with a Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies Degree, along with over $30,000 in student loan debt. As of December 2019, Dannielle lives debt-free, having paid off $26,385 in 26 months.
The First Gen Experience and Handling of Money
I enjoyed my interview of Dannielle during the 2019 FinCon.
She spoke about the various influences in her money decisions and reaction to #FinCon. ***Disclaimer: 2020. All rights reserved. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. No reproduction of any content on the website without the express permission of the author. The text, pictures and videos are the sole property of FirstGenRise.
Dear First Gen,
I had the esteemed honor of meeting Paul C. Brunson (@PaulCBrunson) in the flesh. So excited! I am a proud email subscriber and have been for years. Paul's newsletters highlighted his latest projects and future coaching opportunities. In 2018, I saw the announcement (finally had the courage to) submit by application, interviewed, and then accepted into one of his #Mastermind Groups. Unbelievable! And, since then, I have dutifully taken notes of his wisdom and teachings. Below is a video of his advice on how to approach #publicspeaking. Fellow Riser, Irnande
Dear First Gen -
The FREE 5-DAY UBELONG Challenge has returned! Are you ready? We are ready to welcome you and get you on the path of feeling connected. It is time to jump in and show everyone, including yourself, that you are a valuable asset in the space you occupy. With the #challenge, your mindset will be shifted! Over 5 days, you will work on actionable steps to get you in the rhythm of dominating the environments you are in. This challenge is the starter for all who seek to have a plan on how to own the spaces they walk into. NO MORE SIDELINE LIVING! LET'S GO! SIGN UP FOR THE FREE 5-DAY UBELONG CHALLENGE! I'm waiting for you so we can begin to address #impostersyndrome and deploy strategies to address the fears and doubts. Fellow Riser, Irnande ***Disclaimer: 2019. All rights reserved. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. No reproduction of any content on the website without the express permission of the author. The text, pictures and videos are the sole property of FirstGenRise.  Dear First Gen,
Growing up, my parents spoke about history, the government, and how America responded to current events at the dining room table. In our house, the news channel was constantly on, including the weekends. So in college, it was natural for me to pursue opportunities to engage in political work. I recently wrote an article about my journey into U.S. politics, click here. Fellow Riser, Irnande ***Disclaimer: 2019. All rights reserved. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. No reproduction of any content on the website without the express permission of the author. The text, pictures and videos are the sole property of FirstGenRise.
Dear First Gen,
July is Minority Mental Health Month! How did you spend it? In the video, I share my perspective on this month and how as a person of color, I handle my stressful days and who has been my support system. I leaned on them in moments of strife and doubt. #minoritymentalhealth #reprensentationmatters Fellow Riser, Irnande ***Disclaimer: 2019. All rights reserved. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. No reproduction of any content on the website without the express permission of the author. The text, pictures and videos are the sole property of FirstGenRise.
Hi First Gen,
History is happening for all #Haitians, #HaitianAmericans, and supporters of #Haiti Mens' Soccer! For the first time in history, the Haiti National Football Team is in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup! WOW! In the first half the team was down by 2 goals and in the second half there was a comeback. I enjoy a good comeback story and Haiti's was on display for all to watch. Listen to my opinion of the result. You are never down unless you stay down.
As a former #soccer player, I understand the tremendous effort it takes mentally and physically to achieve this outcome. I applaud Haiti's National Men's Football Team. #CaribbeanHeritageMonth
Fellow Riser, Irnande  Dear First Gen,
For as long as I can remember, I was so excited at the thought of being a first-generation college #graduate. Before I knew it, my final semester was coming to an end and it was almost time for me to start my new life. Thankfully, the week before graduation, I accepted a job working at a high school in Mississippi. I would not start my job for a couple of months, but that was cool with me. I could use a nice summer break for a change! While I was looking forward to what I’d be doing in the months to come, I was struck with the fact that I had no immediate plans until it was time for me to move. I literally did not even know where I was going to lay my head for the next few months. I was certain though that I was not going to move back home because a large part of me was concerned that I’d be taking a step back. I was too worried about other’s thoughts of me having failed because I was back home. I was frantic the week of #graduation because everything was happening so quickly. Not only did I need a place to stay, I would also no longer be employed at the place where I’d been working since my freshman year of college. I remember feeling so doomed at this point because graduation was now only a few days away and I really needed to pull it together. I was getting scared because it started to hit me that I would no longer have access to a residence hall, cafeteria, or safe place. I would no longer be a part of the campus community and would lose quick access to my professors and mentors. While I had a laptop, I was going to have to give it back because it was only loaned to me as a part of my accommodations for being an Honors College student. I had no idea where my money was going to come from or where I’d get my next meal. I was losing all sense of security that I’d had for 4 years and it felt like a small crisis. However, I knew that it was on me to take care of my business and myself. Two days before graduation, I was chatting with my sorority sister—who was also about to be a first-gen college grad—about her plans for summer and she was as frantic as me about not having a place to stay. We decided to take the little money we had and split a cheap two-bedroom apartment until it was time for me to move to Mississippi. I don’t recall how she found the place, but we submitted an application that day and found out the next day we’d been approved. As soon as she got the call, we hurried over to pay our deposit and pick up our keys. (Oh, gosh! I was a real adult!) Moving after the graduation ceremony was pretty easy for us since we had no beds, dining table, kitchen utensils, couch, food in the fridge… nothing. Yet we had a place to stay and that was better than just a few days prior. Eventually, we started accumulating furniture: I bought a blowup bed from Walmart and we got a couch that had been donated to us. Soon, my sister got a table from Walmart that we put together in one night. Our groceries were often milk and cereal, eight-piece chicken from Walmart, spaghetti, and tacos. It wasn't glamorous, but we were fresh out of college and we didn’t want for much, so we were good. I also got a temporary job with my old employer and was able to work for a month until I relocated. Looking back at that time of my life, I often laugh because while I had a college degree, my life didn’t look anything like what I thought it would. See, having a degree doesn’t mean that all of your challenges, financial or otherwise, are going to magically disappear. However, I learned quite a few lessons and some I’d like to share with you:
The world is big and learning to face it can be scary; however, there are so many people who have traveled a similar road, so don’t ever doubt that you’ll be just fine. No matter the situation you’re faced with, trust that you’ll figure it out. Fellow Riser, Dr. Eve Hudson (Host behind The First-Gen Lounge) ***Disclaimer: 2019. All rights reserved. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. No reproduction of any content on the website without the express permission of the author. The text, pictures and videos are the sole property of FirstGenRise.  Dear First Gen,
The majority of college students graduating today have one thing in common, regardless of their degree: student loan debt. While some are fortunate enough to attend college without having to take out any loans, the majority of American college graduates end up owing seemingly insurmountable debt to lenders. When I graduated more than 10 years ago, Sallie Mae was the leading lender. Today, Sallie Mae has been joined by Great Lakes, Nelnet, and Navient. It seems that almost every day, there is a new article reporting that #studentloandebt is a factor in #millennials delaying buying homes, getting married, starting a family, or growing a business. Some have even chosen to put off saving for retirement to focus on paying their student loans. The Good Ol’ Days I will never forget a conversation I had with a former neighbor. She and her spouse had both graduated from a state law school in the 1990s, and their combined student loan debt totaled just $55,000. I was shocked to hear that number. I could never imagine a graduate today walking out of law school with such a low amount of debt. She went on to tell me that they paid off their loans in just 5 years. The first few years, they kept their expenses low by living modestly. They also made the career decision to work in the public sector before moving on to work in “big law” for leading corporate law firms. The Times They Are A-Changin' On the other hand, when I graduated from college in 2007, I entered the “real world” with what I thought was a manageable $25,000 of student loan debt from my 4-year degree. Then I went to Georgetown for a 1-year master’s degree program and graduated with an additional $33,000 in debt. I kept my costs relatively low by living at my parents’ home, taking a carpool bus to school, bringing my lunch with me, and working a graduate assistantship. Others in my master’s program cohort took out double my amount because they lived in Washington, DC, and needed money for housing and more. That meant that many of them graduated with at least $60,000 in debt from a one-year graduate program. I figured mine was still a manageable amount of debt since it was a total of less than $60,000. However, I finished my program in 2008 during the recession and it’s not an exaggeration to say that no one was hiring. I worked two part-time jobs to pay my bills. But then I tacked on even more debt when I went to law school. I will be paying my student loans for years to come. A Little Financial Planning Goes a Long Way Why am I sharing this with you? I believe in getting as much information as possible to be sure you're setting yourself up for success down the road. It is important to know exactly how much you need to borrow to get your desired education. Then you can borrow the very least amount so you are not swimming in debt, do not have to delay future milestones like buying a house, traveling, or becoming a parent, if those will be priorities for you. A little financial planning goes a long way in paying off student loans. A few young people I have recently met shared that they have not begun paying their public student loans back because they are paying for the private loans they took out first. Another friend who graduated law school with me had more than $100,000 in student loans from two private institutions, yet paid off their #lawschool debt in less than 4 years. This person did make a six-figure income, but they also lived very modestly by limiting travel, shopping at discount grocery stores, finding inexpensive rent, and so on. Luckily for this person, the amount of compounded interest was limited because of the timing of paying back the loan. In many cases, graduates pay a lot in interest before they can pay any chunk of the principal. If you’re just starting to look into loans, I may be using terms that are new to you. Check out Student Loan Hero for more information, and do not be overwhelmed. I have come across many good resources that may be helpful to you. Podcasts – Brown Ambition Paychecks and Balances Trailblazers.FM Blog Posts – Student Loans: Everything you Need to Know Your Money Worth The Student Loan Debt Movement Tools – How to Create a Loan Amortization Schedule As a first-generation college student or graduate, there is a lot of information we are not privy to because no one in our families has gone through it before. That's why I’m here. These resources will get you started on how to plan for the financial implications of a #highereducation. Whether you are just starting the process of applying for grants and scholarships or you are debating whether to accept a job that offers student loan repayment assistance benefits, thinking about all of this will help you plan a little better. Fellow Riser, Irnande ***Disclaimer: 2019. All rights reserved. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. No reproduction of any content on the website without the express permission of the author. The text, pictures and videos are the sole property of FirstGenRise.  Dear First Gen, Coming off the heels of #BlackHistoryMonth and stepping into #WomensHistoryMonth, this post is a treat. For the past five years, I had the honor of witnessing Judge Elizabeth Morris pave the way for black female attorneys in Maryland. She has always had a gracious demeanor and attitude while being a strong leader. Her judicial appointment is #historic because she became the first black female to sit on the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. Congratulations! Read her story to learn about her appointment by #GovernorHogan. Watch the video to learn about her Caribbean heritage and introduction to the practice of law. #InternationalWomensDay Fellow Riser, Irnande ***Disclaimer: 2019. All rights reserved. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. No reproduction of any content on the website without the express permission of the author. The text, pictures and videos are the sole property of FirstGenRise. |
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