First-gen students value moms’ hard work

By Azucena Gama Staff Writer

** The interview with Erika Arreguin is translated from Spanish **

Everybody’s immigration story is different. Family and culture are the core of who many first generation students are. University students recognize their parents’ sacrifices for them to have a better life.

According to the Illinois News Bureau, 23% of this year’s first-year class are first-generation students, with their families hailing worldwide. This number is up from 20% in 2021.

Adapting to college life can be difficult for both kids and their parents. Dana Arreguin, freshman in Education, said the new environment is something unlike she’s ever experienced, which made her transition from home to the University emotional and reflective.

“Both of my parents didn’t even get a chance to graduate high school because it was very expensive in Mexico,” Arreguin said. “So, when they arrived here it was very important to them that I continue my education at least until high school.”

Arreguin’s mom is from Guanajuato, Mexico. Her family now lives in northern Illinois. Arreguin is the first in her household to attend college. Her mother, Erika Arreguin, was encouraging of Arreguin’s choice to go to college.

“I told her whichever (college) you wanted, whether it’s near or far from home, I’ll support you,” Erika Arreguin said.

The University’s Latino population makes moving easier for Latino students.

“There’s organizations at the University that make me feel at home, like La Casa Cultural Latina or Latino Student Association,” Dana Arreguin said. “They make me feel at home and connected.”

Sometimes, being away from each other can be the most challenging part for first-generation students and their families. Jenna Bui, freshman in LAS, said her mom’s been afraid of being so far from her daughter.

“Usually, in Asian cultures, most families and relatives live near each other or live in the same house,” Bui said.

Bui’s mom is from Vietnam and currently lives in the Chicago suburbs. Bui is the first daughter to attend college.

“For my immigrant parents, having a kid that goes to a good college makes them proud because they worked really hard to be in the position where they’re at now,” Bui said. “My mom worked a lot, it wasn’t easy for her.”

Both sets of mothers and daughters talk on the phone everyday and visit each other as often as possible.

Bui and Arreguin expressed their gratefulness for thier mothers and they understood the complxities of adjusting to a new environment.

Both mothers are happy to have given the opportunity for their daughters to attend college.

“Take advantage of everything you are doing because, at the end of your studies, it will be worth it,” Erika Arreguin said. “All the sacrifice, all the sleepless nights, is worth it. Because you are going to come out of college successfully.” gama3@dailyillini.com