AUDIO: Faces of an Invisible Identity

By Luna Anna Archey and Carolyn Gearig

Audio edited by David Song

This week, The Statement reported on what it's like to be a first-generation student at the University. Click on the audio to hear five students interviewed for the story speak about their experiences.

Kinesiology senior Katie Thomas is president of First Generation College Students at Michigan, a student organization founded in 2007. She said that being in the organization has given her a purpose and a place at the University, and that the students she's met have taught her a lot.

Rackham student Audrey Schiavone went to two other schools for her bachelor's and master's degrees before coming to Michigan. She said her experience at the University has made her more aware of her identity because it's far from her home in Maryland, and much larger.

Social work graduate student Christina Castillo transferred to the University in 2013, when she was 28 and her daughter was 5. They came to Michigan from an impoverished neighborhood in San Diego.

Public policy graduate student Cortney Sanders is from Texas, where she went for her undergrad and her entire family lives. She said being an out-of-state first-generation student has been rewarding and challenging.

School of Information junior Logan Meyer is from an upper-middle-class family, so his first-generation identity is a bit complicated.