First-generation student Angel Fuentes takes next step in college journey

From first applying to college in 2020 to registering for her last semester of classes, Angel Fuentes has approached life as a first-generation college student one step at a time. 

B.A. in Psychology

Her next steps will take her across the commencement stage.

Angel, a psychology major with minors in neuroscience and art therapy, previously shared her experience of being the first in her family to go to college. She talked about the pressure she felt to meet her family’s expectations and the stress of navigating the unfamiliar on her own.

Now she’s preparing to graduate in May. “I feel more confident. I’ve got it. I can keep going,” she says.

That message of hope is amplified on First-Generation College Celebration Day, held each Nov. 8 to commemorate the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965. According to FirstGenForward, there are more than 8 million first-generation students in the U.S.; 38.8 percent of MSUM’s Fall 2024 undergraduate students are first-generation.

What advice does Angel have for students like her as she nears the end of her collegiate journey?

“It’s going to feel rough and lonely at times, but you always have yourself and that’s all you need to keep going,” Angel says. “Even when you feel like no one has your back, someone does and you’ll meet some great people.”

Angel says working in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion allowed her to meet and connect with a wide variety of people. Some have offered guidance she didn’t know she needed. Others have turned to her for help.

She’s often asked to be a resource for her younger siblings, cousins and neighbors, as well. “I feel that pressure to be that guidance for others even though I’m still seeking guidance for myself,” she says.

Angel stayed at MSUM an additional year to complete another minor in art therapy, a unique offering at MSUM. “I was really into art all through high school,” she says. “It always brought me a good peace of mind.”

She is weighing whether to head to graduate school or straight into the workforce after graduation. She likes the idea of working at a recovery center or community-based youth center. “It’s hard to know what to do next when nobody in my family has done it before,” she says.

She’s planning to access the resources available at MSUM’s Career Development Center to help inform her next steps – the ones she takes out of the classroom and into the real world as a first-generation college graduate.