Richard Wittman

What advice would you give first-generation college students?

One of the biggest challenges a first generation student can face is that of being thrust in among students from wealthier backgrounds, whose secure place in the world has given them a great deal of confidence in themselves - sometimes more than they maybe deserve. It can be intimidating if you come from a different kind of background. Try to be patient with this new situation. Stay grounded, be observant, and try not to let it make you feel somehow inadequate. Above all, be mindful about the ways you let your behavior change so that you fit in better. Your task isn't to become someone else; your task is to work out how to be you within these broader, more complicated horizons.

Richard Wittman
Professor, History of Art and Architecture
UC Santa Barbara