If I had to give one piece of advice to another first-generation student, it would be this: don’t let where you came from limit where you’re going, you have the power to create your own legacy. Being a first-generation student often means stepping into spaces that no one in your family has entered before. It can feel intimidating, as though the weight of history is on your shoulders, and sometimes, you may feel like you’re carrying not only your own dreams but also the hopes of everyone who came before you. That pressure can make it easy to fall into doubt and to let your background define you. But the truth is, your past does not determine your future; it simply prepares you to write a story no one else can. Many of us come from families that have worked hard, sacrificed, and built their lives out of resilience. While those roots are important, they don’t have to be chains. You are not confined to repeating the struggles or limitations that may have shaped the generations before you. Instead, you can use their strength as fuel. Being first-generation means you have an opportunity to take all of that sacrifice and turn it into something bigger. You get to build doors where there weren’t any and walk through them with pride. Creating your own legacy doesn’t mean forgetting where you come from, it means honoring it by not letting it hold you back. Maybe your family didn’t go to college, maybe they didn’t have the resources or opportunities you do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t break that cycle. Every paper you write, every late night of studying, every milestone you reach is proof that your story can look different. And by creating that difference, you’re not just opening doors for yourself, you’re inspiring others who will come after you, whether that’s your siblings, your cousins, or your own children someday. There will always be moments when you feel out of place, when you question whether you belong, or when you think your background makes you “less than.” In those moments, remember this: you are not less, you are more. You are the product of perseverance, of dreams that might not have been spoken aloud but were deeply felt. You are capable of shaping a future that no one else in your family could have imagined, and that’s the beauty of being first-generation. So, if I could tell another first-generation student just one thing, it would be this: your past is your foundation, not your finish line. Don’t let where you came from stop you from going where you want to go. Instead, let it remind you that you have the strength to build something new, to create your own legacy, and to stand as proof that the story can always be rewritten.