Originally published in the inaugural edition of Carroll Capital, the print publication of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. .
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A degree from the Carroll School can be, and usually is, life-changing for first generation students and their families. But it鈥檚 a long, hard road to graduation鈥攆illed with obstacles and complicated feelings around identity and their search for success. Luckily, they have each other, and new institutional resources, to help them navigate the challenges.
As Rowah Ibnaouf 鈥�25 sat in front of her computer, trying to take part in her college freshman orientation virtually, the power in her aunt鈥檚 house kept conking out. It wasn鈥檛 an unfamiliar problem鈥攖he North Carolina native was spending the summer with her extended family in Khartoum, Sudan鈥檚 capital city. The trip was an opportunity her mom wanted her to have before going off to college, and Ibnaouf was rolling with the punches as she navigated the unreliable 3G Wi-Fi and continuous power outages.
That visit 鈥渨as a refreshing way to end high school and start something new,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 had to immerse myself in my roots and be confronted with the fact that this is who I am. This is what I love about myself.鈥� Weeks later, when she walked onto the Boston College campus surrounded by strangers, embracing what she loved about herself didn鈥檛 seem so simple anymore.
Rowah Ibnaouf '25
Ibnaouf, who is studying information systems at the Carroll School of Management, is one of the 1,000-plus current Boston College students considered first generation, or 鈥渇irst gen,鈥� college students, meaning undergraduates whose parents never enrolled in postsecondary education. Getting into college is difficult enough鈥擝oston College admitted 15 percent of applicants into the class of 2027, the lowest rate in the school鈥檚 history鈥攂ut in order to make it to graduation day, first generation students face an uphill battle. They have access to many institutional and community resources, but they still must navigate the academic challenges, the culture shocks, and the everyday financial struggles. They will also have to grapple with complicated feelings, ultimately, about the success they achieve.
Growing up in Delaware, Cindy Lin 鈥�23 says she was raised knowing she wanted to go to college, but she didn鈥檛 completely understand how college would help her get a job later in life. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what a degree does for you,鈥� she explains. Lin, who studied finance and accounting for finance at the Carroll School, is joining UBS as an investment banking analyst, but the road to getting there was a long one.
When she reviewed her wish list for the perfect college鈥攎edium sized, liberal arts emphasis, and a good business program鈥攊t was an advisor that pointed her toward Boston College. He even connected her with John Mahoney, the University鈥檚 vice provost for enrollment management, who retired at the end of this past academic year. When she visited the Heights, Mahoney made sure she got a good tour and Lin quickly realized it was the school for her.
鈥淗e became a major support figure for me,鈥� Lin says, adding that she has even spent Thanksgiving with Mahoney鈥檚 family.
For first generation students who decide to attend Boston College, the university offers free college transition programs to ease students into college life. For many participants, this is also an important opportunity to bond with incoming first years that share things in common. The Learning to Learn office, which acts as an institutional support for underrepresented students, organizes the transition program 情色空间 F1RST, which has an annual cohort of around 40 students. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really close-knit community,鈥� says Jimmy Kirwan 鈥�23. Kirwan, a finance and English double major, met Lin during 情色空间 F1RST and the two have stayed close friends. As they both head to New York City after graduation to work in the investment banking industry, they plan on being roommates.
At the Carroll School, these students are supported by a robust network of faculty, staff, and alumni ready to help them achieve their goals. And yet, little can fully prepare students for the rigorous academic pace of a top university. 鈥淭he workload hit me like a truck at first,鈥� says William Sweet 鈥�24, whose concentration is operations management. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 harder than what I expected, because I knew what I was getting myself into going to a top school,鈥� he says, but with no point of comparison, Sweet didn鈥檛 realize that the hard work of the semester ahead really did begin on day one. Because of the enrollment age cutoff date in his Brooklyn school district, he was also starting college at 17.
Lin agrees that adjusting to the workload of college wasn鈥檛 easy, especially when she admits that she struggles with perfectionism. After experiencing a monthslong illness during her first year on campus, Lin had to miss multiple classes because of doctor鈥檚 appointments. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really easy to fall behind if you get sick or something,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hese classes have so many assessments throughout the semester鈥攓uizzes that make up like 30 perecnt of your grade鈥攊t鈥檚 so easy for me to lose sight of the big picture.鈥�
“I went to office hours freshman year and cried in front of the professor because I truly felt so alone and out of place. ”
While it might seem obvious enough to simply wave the white flag with professors, Ibnaouf thinks in some ways, asking for or accepting help can be a cultural minefield. 鈥淚 know in African cultures, when someone offers you something, you鈥檙e supposed to say no the first three times before you take it,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just etiquette. Even though听my professors would say you can drop by for office hours anytime, I didn鈥檛 internalize the fact that they actually wanted us to be in their office, asking questions.鈥�
When students were able to get themselves to office hours, the general consensus is that they found that their professors really did care about their success and wellbeing, not only in the classroom, but at that impressionable moment in their lives. 鈥淚 went to office hours freshman year and cried in front of the professor because I truly felt so alone and out of place,鈥� says Kirwan. His professor, Portico instructor Joseph Cioni, walked him over to University Counseling Services, where Kirwan was able to get an appointment the next day鈥攁n option that the Florida native says feels like a blessing. 鈥淚 have been seeing the same therapist for four years and was recently referred to a psychiatrist on campus. This is the happiest and most 鈥楯immy鈥� version of myself I have felt,鈥� he adds.
Jimmy Kirwan '23
Mishal Khan 鈥�24, an information systems and marketing student from Maryland, admits she struggled academically during her first year at the Carroll School, but that didn鈥檛 mean what she was being taught didn鈥檛 stick. 鈥淚 had a really big wake-up call that grades are not everything,鈥� says Khan. She embraced what she learned from her favorite Physical Computing and Coding for Business classes when she started applying for summer internships. 鈥淚 did a bunch of interviews and coding technicals鈥攁nd I was using code that I had learned in classes I didn鈥檛 exactly pass with the best grades, but I had retained that knowledge,鈥� she adds. Those efforts landed her a summer internship this year with Discover. 鈥淭hey were trying to bring more women of color into their company and they flew me out to see where I would be working over the summer. It was everything I pray for.鈥�
Diversity programs at top businesses are on the rise, and with that in mind, the Carroll School developed in 2020, a seven-week, pass/fail course for first generation and high financial need students during their first year at Boston College. The school was already offering a career accelerator course to all Carroll School students, but some people were falling through the cracks simply because they didn鈥檛 know the breadth of opportunities available to them.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a gap in educating students who come from underrepresented backgrounds,鈥� says Andrew Barksdale, an assistant director for undergraduate career engagement at the Carroll School. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e forging a path for their families, and with forging a path, you don鈥檛 know until you know.鈥� He adds that with job-recruiting cycles beginning sometimes as early as the fall of sophomore year, he worried about first generation students being out of the loop. 鈥淭he wave just crashes past them. Very capable students, but they just didn鈥檛 know about the opportunities.鈥�
Career Bridge launched in spring 2021 with Barksdale as instructor. He wishes a similar program existed when he was an undergrad at the Carroll School and a scholarship athlete playing varsity football. 鈥淚 showed up to classes, but I was unprepared in terms of understanding what life was after football,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o the opportunity to educate students that have some similar disadvantages 鈥� I didn鈥檛 want to be left behind. That鈥檚 the connection I鈥檝e made.鈥�
After completing Career Bridge as a student, Sweet became a teaching assistant for the course. 鈥淭he first year got us [students] thinking about what we can do to prepare for the future using the resources at CSOM to help us,鈥� says Sweet. 鈥淚t makes me very happy to come into the class [now] and see that they鈥檙e enjoying what they鈥檙e learning,听 but also getting a community. We want to build community, but it鈥檚 one thing to build it. It鈥檚 a different thing to be able to maintain it and have it go outside the classroom.鈥�
One way that Barksdale is thinking about building community is by formalizing the mentorship model that already exists around Career Bridge, as well as the other Carroll School initiatives he oversees, like the Alumni Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion and the Diversity in Business program, which introduces students to career opportunities in industries that lack diversity. 鈥淥ur upperclassmen and alumni are doing well, and are good mentors and guiding lights,鈥� he says. 鈥淗aving them come back and talk is very powerful and it reinforces the messages that we鈥檙e trying to teach.鈥�
This intentional community is mutually beneficial for students and upperclassmen鈥攎any of whom continue to seek Barksdale鈥檚 counsel even after they鈥檝e left his classroom. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in Fulton and you鈥檙e in accounting class, you just don鈥檛 always see [students of color],鈥� says Ibnaouf, who took Career Bridge as a first-year student. 鈥淵ou have to have a class like Career Bridge gather you all into one place in order to see each other. Drew is someone with a lot of knowledge and it鈥檚 really nice to see, not just a person of color, but a Black person in a position where he can help other students of color. He is always a very guiding hand.鈥�
Another benefit of offering Career Bridge to first-year students in particular is the opportunity to have conversations about culture shock happening in real time. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the biggest things we talk about,鈥� says Barksdale. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that we talk about how to navigate that and adapt to a new environment. This isn鈥檛 going to be a one-off, this is going to be how life is.鈥�
“These classes have so many assessments throughout the semester鈥攓uizzes that make up like 30 percent of your grade鈥攊t鈥檚 so easy for me to lose sight of the big picture.”
One of the first real cold days of freshman year, Khan remembers seeing students crossing campus bundled up in Canada Goose down jackets and thinking maybe she would get one too. 鈥淚 thought it was just your average trendy jacket,鈥� she says, laughing鈥擥oogling the brand, she quickly realized many of the styles retail for upwards of $1,500. Ibnaouf remembers similar reality checks, seeing her classmates with new Macbook laptops and fancy headphones. 鈥淭he little things start to pile up,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here are millions of dollars in difference in how we live鈥攈ow we grew up. It can be very draining.鈥�
A working laptop has become an essential tool to navigate classes and complete assignments, but Kirwan says when his laptop broke suddenly during the middle of the semester, he became worried about keeping up. 鈥淚t was a complete nightmare,鈥� he says. After alerting his professors听to the situation, he talked to Sara Nunziata, assistant director of undergraduate advising, who was able to get him a new laptop. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know that was a possibility,鈥� he adds. With emergencies like that in mind, the Carroll School created the Leo V. Sullivan Fund, a discretionary fund geared toward management students who belong to Boston College鈥檚 Montserrat Coalition, which assists students at the highest level of financial need. That money can help with everything from the purchase of textbooks to business attire ahead of job interviews.
The differences in lived experiences between first generation students and their peers are not always financial鈥攕ometimes they鈥檙e simply philosophical. Portico, the Carroll School鈥檚 signature class for first-year students, acts as a doorway into the concepts of management through an interdisciplinary lens, with lessons on philosophy, ethics, and social sciences woven in. 鈥淢orality and business were always intertwined for me,鈥� Ibnaouf says, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 the big thing that听they鈥檙e trying to teach you in Portico.鈥� When she was growing up, her dad worked a factory job. If he came home injured, she could piece it together that it might be because of inadequate training or poorly maintained equipment. Because many of her classmates hadn鈥檛 experienced similar problems, she thinks they weren鈥檛 as easily able to see the ethical quandaries surrounding the real-world business dealings they were discussing in class.
Cindy Lin '23
Thankfully Ibnaouf was able to see how that understanding of morality and business might help her excel. She was recruited by Barksdale to serve as team captain for a group competing in the 2023 National Diversity Case Competition, hosted by the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. There, her four-person team took on a real-world case concerning American conglomerate 3M鈥檚 commitments to environmental justice in communities near the company鈥檚 manufacturing plants, ultimately winning third place in the competition. The prize money will help Ibnaouf travel to Singapore for a summer internship with maritime technology company Fredrik Marine.
The relief of securing a job or internship can often go hand-in-hand with a difficult financial reality check. 鈥淟ast summer, I made more than both of my parents combined,鈥� says Kirwan鈥攈is summer internship with J.P. Morgan landed him a full-time role with the company as an analyst. 鈥淚 feel guilty about making more than them. They work twice as hard, but I think if I was a parent, I would want my kids to be doing the same. That鈥檚 how I rationalize it.鈥�
Khan mentions some of the same guilt showing up for her and other first generation friends, 鈥渂ecause we feel like our parents deserve more and our friends deserve more.鈥� She adds that after getting into Boston College, she gave presentations at her high school to educate students about the resources available to them. 鈥淚 just wanted to motivate people to escape this poverty cycle that we鈥檙e stuck in.鈥�
Khan pays for her college education in part through participation in a work-study program. Between multiple jobs, she was working 18 hours a week during her freshman year. 鈥淕oing abroad is actually the first time where I鈥檓 not working,鈥� she said, as she embarked on the adventure during spring 2023. 鈥淚鈥檒l finally be a normal student who can go home after class.鈥�
A robust study abroad program is something that many students take advantage of during their time at Boston College鈥�36 percent of Carroll School students in the class of 2023 ventured overseas鈥攂ut financial hardship and limited available scholarships can make this rite of passage feel out of reach for some. 鈥淚鈥檝e come so far and was so set on going abroad. I鈥檓 going to places my parents would die to see,鈥� says Khan, who selected Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as where she wanted to study during her junior year. She adds that this opportunity wouldn鈥檛 have been possible if she had not been accepted into the Fung Scholars Program at Boston College, which specifically supports academic experiences in Asian countries. Khan says that while her days in Dubai were spent studying, she was spending her nights during the holy month of Ramadan exploring new foods when she broke her fast, adding, 鈥淚t has been heartwarming to feel more comfortable in myself here. I feel more connected to my culture.鈥�
鈥淵ou might think you鈥檙e alone, but you鈥檙e really not,鈥� says Kirwan鈥攆inding like-minded students helped ease the uncertainty of feeling out of place on the Heights. He got involved with First Generation Club, a student group dedicated to the representation of first generation students at Boston College that hosts events like club mixers, first generation faculty panels, and professional development nights that offer both intellectual engagement and bonding opportunities. Kirwan and Lin both served as club co-presidents during their junior year and Khan currently sits on the executive board.
“I always thought that I was sort of a lone wolf as a person of color in CSOM. Then I met people with similar backgrounds and who were very willing to talk about their experiences. It feels like all of me is there when I鈥檓 talking to them.”
Kirwan emphasizes that when first generation students at the Carroll School are able to accomplish their goals, it鈥檚 important that they also help other students. 鈥淪omething my dad instilled in me was the idea of not pulling the ladder up behind you,鈥� he says. 鈥淏eing able to mentor other people gives me a sense that I belong here.鈥� For him, it was contributing back to the Boston College community that made him really see Boston College as a home.
鈥淲hat really pushes first gen students is wanting to make the people around you proud and be able to uplift them,鈥� says Ibnaouf. 鈥淢y parents came to America to a worse-off life in order to start something new for [their] children who hadn鈥檛 even been born yet. I just want to make things better, not only for myself, but for others, too鈥攂ut you still need drive to get through the system. I have to push through it. I鈥檓 doing this for a reason.鈥�
