Pursuing a higher education is daunting, even more so as a first-generation student. According to the University of Washington, only a little over 30 percent of students across their three campuses are first-generation students, with the number decreasing when zooming into the Seattle campus alone.
Kristina Montero-Duong, a Bellingham native, came to the University of Washington. She grew up in a low-income home with two immigrant parents from Mexico and Vietnam. Now pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Welfare and working at the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, Montero-Duong aims to guide other first-generation students in their higher education path.
“When there are other students that have families that have gone to higher education or received higher education, they have the immediate upper hand,” said Montero-Duong. “We don't know how to start from the beginning… We need resources that can support us and push us to even be at similar or equal lengths as other students.”