Faces of First-Gen: Professor George Sanders

Professor George Sanders of OU’s Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice has an informed perspective on the struggles of first-generation college students. That’s because he is one himself. “What I understand, more than anything else, is that sense of not feeling comfortable and at ease in your own skin — that feeling that everybody else seems to know what they’re doing, and you’re the impostor,” Sanders says. “When challenges arise, you’re more likely to internalize those problems and to think it’s about me, as a person, and that maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

The sociological term “cultural capital,” according to Sanders, refers to unspoken norms and expectations surrounding how to interact with people, including how to navigate large institutions such as a university, and how to understand one’s role within them. “That’s why it’s so vital for first-gen students to actually be comfortable in their own skin — to have that sense of self-assuredness, that sense of confidence, that sense of ‘I can do this,’” Sanders says. “First-gen students need to recognize that they can reach out, and that it’s totally appropriate and entirely normal to have questions, to be uncertain and to have anxiety.”

When it came to choosing an institution of higher learning as a high schooler himself, Sanders went to the University of Florida (UF) because all of his friends did. “It seemed like the thing to do at the time,” he says. But he also points out that “One of the most important resources that you can have as an 18-year-old is your parents. And, if your parents don’t comprehend the value of a college education, what that means and how it enriches you beyond just getting a certain kind of job or promotion, then it makes it that much more challenging to put forth the additional energy and effort needed to attend college,” Sanders says, adding that this can include completing FAFSA forms and coming up with college application fees.

These challenges for first-gen students can continue on campus – from not realizing what it is to be a college student to suddenly having the freedom to explore. “It’s wholly different than when you’re in high school and you’re shepherded along a set path,” Sanders says. “Here at OU, we have great advisers who do really great work, but there can be feelings of independence and autonomy that can be paralyzing if you’re not used to them. You can feel stuck and not know who the appropriate person is to seek out for assistance.”

Adding other issues, such as personal, mental or emotional health, can contribute to students’ feelings of isolation and alienation, Sanders continues. “By internalizing that sense of ‘everything is up to me, and me only,’ first-gen students can miss out on the broader network of relationships, resources and connections available to them at OU. I’d like to see all of our students avail themselves of those kinds of benefits,” he says.

Sanders’ own first-gen experience at UF improved once he found others who were in the same situation, providing him with an outlet to share and commiserate. He advises OU first-gen students to do the same. “Be proactive! Know that you’re meant to be here, and that you have every right to be here as much as anybody else,” he says. “Know that with the support of the many, many generous people across OU’s campus, a college education is well within your reach. You have to be persistent, you have to be forthcoming with questions and you have to be vulnerable — but the first step is to reach out.”

Orientation and New Student Programs (ONSP) encourages first-year, first-generation students to connect with others via MySail as part of a new First-Generation Group. Specialized monthly programming also will continue in 2025. For more information, contact ONSP at (248) 370-4653 or [email protected].