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The road to a bachelor’s degree isn’t easy for anyone, but if you’re the first person in your family to choose the college path, it’s even more of an uphill battle. I’m Chasity Mayes. In this segment of our Sense of Community Series on education, college life in the Ozarks, I went to West Plains, Missouri to talk to a first generation college student who knows first hand how making the right choice isn’t always an easy decision.Chasidy Berry is more than just a first generation college student. Statistically, she shouldn’t be in college at all. Berry dropped out of high school at 15 years old and got a job so that she could support herself and her three sisters. Berry’s parents, both high school dropouts themselves, were far from sticklers about education. As a matter of fact, Berry remembers it was never a big deal if she chose not to go to school. “I remember missing tons of school. And my mom, you know, didn’t encourage me or make me go to school every day. And I don’t remember a teacher or anybody ever approaching me about, you know, my grades falling behind you know. It wasn’t a big deal to them,” said Berry.
Charlotte Hardin is the assistant vice-president for multicultural programs and student diversity at Missouri State University in Springfield. Currently, MSU offers programs that cater to first generation college students. TRIO Student Support Services helps them make it through their college years while the Upward Bound program prepares first generation high school students for making the leap into higher education. Hardin says that Berry’s story is all too common, but it’s not always about parents not caring; often it’s just a fear of not knowing what’s ahead.
“I think parents sometimes just have a little bit of fear and I think it’s just a fear of the unknown. Sometimes if the educational system was unpleasant, or negative, or scary for parents they aren’t as apt to encourage their students or their child to go ahead and pursue education,” says Hardin.
She also says when there is a big fear of the unknown, it causes many parents to try to ignore educational opportunities or try to find an easier route for their children. Hardin says the TRIO program has had several cases where after parents get more information about a college education, not only do they become more supportive of their children, but in many cases, they’ve enrolled themselves.
Besides getting over the fear of the unknown the biggest challenge is knowing what to do next.
“Probably the biggest challenge is just learning the higher education system. If you don’t have someone at home that’s kind of been through the process before to kind of guide you it can present some challenges. There are lots of students who do it, but usually it’s helpful if you have someone that can kind of help guide you through that process,” says Hardin.
The TRIO program is designed to take the place of a parent who has gotten a higher education. Students do have to be admitted to MSU and enrolled in order to apply for the TRIO program. There is an application and interview process. Missouri State University is the only university in Springfield that offers the TRIO program. Hardin says it addresses many of the questions that make first generation students feel lost.
“Everything from filing the application for admission, applying for financial aid and scholarships, just learning what resources are available to you. And so, this program strives to help students work through that process and maze and provides services to help students gain their education,” says Hardin.
Hardin also says regardless of whether you’re accepted into the program or not, the campus offers plenty of support. She says it’s important to remember to ask questions and earlier is always better when it comes to turning in enrollment or financial aid paperwork.
Berry had some of those same questions when she was preparing to go back to school. She knew very little about the process and found herself always wondering “what’s next?”
“I knew I would have to take my GED, but then what do you do? Do I just go in and say I want to go to college?” says Berry.
And beyond not having the academic support through the tedious process, what about the emotional support? Knowing her mother and father weren’t interested in her education, it was her grandmother and biggest supporter who encouraged her to get her head back in the books. I met up with Berry at her new job in the admissions office at Missouri State University-West Plains before we headed to the home of her greatest fan.“Sound of car starting”During our car ride, Berry tells me more about her uphill battle to becoming a first generation college student. After earning her GED, Berry worked at a doctor’s office for nearly five years doing on the job training to be a certified nursing assistant. Berry started slow by taking night and online classes while continuing to work. She says even though no one in her family had been to college, it was her two children, and the fact that she’s a single mom, that made her want something more. “You know, it was really hard for me to provide for my children. And I didn’t want them to have to struggle like I did when I was growing up,” says Berry. Berry’s main interest was in Missouri State University-West Plains’ nursing program. During her first year of enrollment at the college she worked hard, staying up late, doing homework, and studying. And after a year of hard work, Berry decided it was time to give the nursing program a shot. Everyone warned her that no one gets in with their first application. So, naturally, Berry never dreamed she would. But her 4.0 grade point average must have made a difference because, it wasn’t long before Berry found out she had been accepted into the program. For a first time college student and single mother of two it was an exciting, and scary time. “But once I was accepted into the RN program it is Monday through Friday full-time. And so, I was unable to you know, to really ask them to hold my position at work anymore. And so, part of the core of engineer scholarship is they try to find job placement. And so, I interviewed for two positions here at Missouri State University,” says Berry.“Greeting entering house”
After a warm welcome into the home that once took Berry in when she was young, it wasn’t hard to see the bond between grandmother and granddaughter. Virgina Berry is considered to be the backbone of the Berry family. She’ll tell you there are two important things in life: family being number one, and education coming in at a close second.
“If you don’t have a good education, you don’t have a very good foothold,” says Berry.
She’s thankful that her grandaughter has chosen a path that won’t only make her well educated, but will also make her a better mother. A successful graduation from nursing school will not only be a victory for Berry, it will also be a victory for her two children who will no longer have to face the same struggles that their mother did. Berry says she let her kids know in advance that the next couple of years might be tough, but the hard work will pay off in the end.
“I want them to understand that I may miss things [these] two years, but they’re old enough to understand that this is just temporary. In the long run all of us will benefit from me going back to school,” says Berry.
And Berry says those talks are already making a difference in the lives of her young children. Berry’s daughter is already planning for her future. That’s something that Berry never did when she was growing up.
“My daughter, you know, I think she really sees how I’m trying to help our family. And she already says she wants to be a lawyer. You know, she’s got big plans to attend school,” says Berry.
Virginia Berry says she’s always assumed her granddaughter would go into the medical field, primarily because it’s what she does best.
“Yes, because she’s good in it. That just seemed to be her calling,” says Berry.
Throughout her grandaughter’s childhood, Virgina Berry and her late husband always knew how important education is. They both encouraged all of their grandchildren to set their goals high even if their parents hadn’t. Today, with Chasidy successfully enrolled in nursing school, this grandmother knows she’s not the only one who would be this proud.
“I think of that real often, of how proud he would’ve been of them. You know, just wished he could’ve seen it,” says Berry.
With many miles behind her on the steady path to higher education Chasidy Berry has only one piece of advice to other first generation students just like herself:
“You have to surround yourself with positive people. With people that are going to be a positive influence and that are going to support your decision. Because if you surround yourself with negative people that aren’t supportive of your choice to be a student and to better yourself then your less likely to follow through with your dreams,” says Berry.
For her it’s her grandmother’s encouragement that keeps this small town single mother of two taking a different path than her parents did. Setting an example for her kids, that no matter the struggle, hard work and determination can change your life.
For KSMU’s Sense of Community Series I’m Chasity Mayes.
