Center for Student Opportunity

Babson College student blogs about being first in family to attend college

The Wellesley (Ma.) Townsman interviewed Duylam Nguyen-Ngo and Jesse Sanchez about obstacles they overcame to become first in their family to go to college and their involvement with the Opportunity Scholars blog, which officially launched at the beginning of the month:

Babson College student in Wellesley blogs about being first in family to attend college
By Elana Zak/Townsman staff

Wellesley — Babson College freshman Duylam Nguyen-Ngo is a man of firsts.

He is his mother’s first, and only, child. He is the first in his family to be born in America, not Vietnam. The first time he competed for his high school’s varsity wrestling team, he took home five gold medals. He’s also part of a new blog that chronicles 10 students nationwide during their first year in college. The freshmen have a common bond: They are the first in their families to go to college.

“I think everyone needs to know that everything is within reach,” said Nguyen-Ngo, 18, who is from Richmond, Va. “People get bogged down by SAT scores or GPAs, but they don’t understand that, looking beyond that, they have so much potential as well.”

Nguyen-Ngo is part of the Opportunity Scholars blog, which was started by the nonprofit Center for Student Opportunity. CSO is aimed at bridging the gap between institutes of higher education and students who are historically underrepresented on college campuses, said CSO Project Director Joe Tavares. The blog officially launched at the beginning of the month and the goal is to have first-generation college freshmen give hope and advice to current high school students who may think college is not a possibility for them, Tavares said.

“A lot of these students’ more fortunate peers are often times exposed and are learning about the college process from their parents and their families, but it’s those first-generation students, like Duylam, that are sometimes not involved in the process,” Tavares said. “Our hope is that younger students will better understand that that opportunity for college is within reach.”

Nguyen-Ngo and his mother w moved to Richmond when he was six. When he started at the high school, his mother sat him down and told him she came to America and gave up a lot so he could be the best in the family. The message really hit home.

“I really understood the gravity of the situation,” he said. “I’ve driven myself pretty hard to be the best I can be at all times.”

When he was applying to colleges, Nguyen-Ngo said he really didn’t have anyone to ask for advice. His friends from school and his neighborhood, which he described as a place where “you have to have tougher skin,” were also the first in their families to plan to go to college. When he would get discouraged during the college application process, he banished his woes by singing aloud to his favorite songs.

The blog highlights students who not only overcame tough backgrounds to get into college, but they also got into some of the country’s most selective schools. Bloggers attend Harvard University, Williams College and Pomona College, to name a few. More than 400 students across the country applied to be a part of the blog, which also provides students with a $1,000 scholarship that is renewable for all four years of college. Only 10 people were selected.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t know anyone that was going to college,” said Jesse Sanchez, one of the bloggers who goes to Harvard. “I always thought it was impossible.”

Like Nguyen-Ngo, Sanchez wants to be a role model to his family and others in his community. Both young men said they hope people in similar situations to theirs will read their blog posts and realize they can go to college and be successful.

“If I wasn’t going to take advantage of every opportunity available to me, then it was going to be as if my mother’s sacrifices were going to be a waste,” Sanchez said. “What really motivated me [was] having the opportunity to be that role model for not only the people in my family, my little brother and younger cousins, but I also wanted to be a role model for all students that are dealt a [rough] card and feel like they can’t do anything. I feel like if I can be that person, if they can look up to that, it will give them a little bit of hope.”

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