Over 194,000 students were enrolled at ASU for the 2024-25 year — 36.5% of them were first-generation undergraduate students, according to the ASU website.
This large population fuels the need for first-generation aid, ranging from housing and financial support to clubs and counseling. One student seeking more of this aid is Carolina Marquez, a sophomore studying public service and public policy.
Marquez is a first-generation student from Avondale but has familial roots in Mexico, making her a first-generation Mexican American as well.
The transition from high school to college for Marquez came with a certain dread: the fear of not fitting in.
"I felt like I was just following people along and trying to fit in the best I could, without letting them know that I was fundamentally very different from everyone here," Marquez said. "The culture shock was really big to me."
This initial shock stemmed from the demographic of students Marquez was surrounded by. Marquez grew up in a predominately Hispanic area, where everyone was "either low income or maximum middle class."
Marquez found the new environment "jarring," one in which a significant amount of students were privileged to have opportunities that prepared them for college.
"I worked my a– off to get here and I'm here on scholarship — I'm on the Obama (scholarship). So for me, I can't afford to even let my grades slip a little bit. While other people were just so lax about it," Marquez said.
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Marquez began meeting and making friends with Latino students on the Downtown Phoenix campus, ultimately changing her relationship with the college culture Marquez had previously known.
The fellow Latino students Marquez was meeting brought her a sense of comfort because they were all facing "a sense of imposter syndrome" together, Marquez said.
Through this newfound community, Marquez was able to learn about the resources available for first-generation students, such as clubs, events and more.
It felt as if the University was not doing enough to promote these resources, whether that be through email or through the school's newsletters, for first-generation students, Marquez said.
"On one hand I think ASU does understand that a large (portion) of its population is going to be first-generation students because of the area we're in, but on the other half I just feel like they're just not reaching out," Marquez said.
Yanees Muhammad is a sophomore studying aeronautical management technology and a first-generation student with family from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Muhammad's decision on where to attend university was based on the amount of financial aid offered.
"I was in between Texas and Arizona State, and ASU offered me a full-ride scholarship and extra scholarships since I am a first-generation student," Muhammad said.
Previously unaware of the programs and resources ASU offers first-generation students, Muhammad wishes the University would have advertised them more to have taken advantage of the opportunities earlier.
There are a lot of resources, but many students simply do not know they exist, Muhammad said. A hope Muhammad holds is that the University improves at educating first-generation — specifically first semester students — to what opportunities they have.
Advay Mathur, a sophomore studying biomedical informatics and data science, is a Phoenix native but has family originally from Rajasthan, India, making him a first-generation student and Indian American.
Mathur transitioned from Basis, a public charter school with many Indian students, to the Downtown Phoenix campus, where Mathur is one of a handful of Indian students.
READ MORE: Small fish in a growing pond: Students experience finding their place at ASU
While Basis was heavily focused on academics, ASU allowed Mathur to explore more extracurriculars. Mathur experimented with clubs and programs to find a balance between the two.
Even with these opportunities, these students want ASU to improve how they reach students. These outreach efforts could help those who are struggling or overwhelmed persevere.
"The best way that ASU could probably help is to bring more awareness to resources like TRIO, resources like counseling services, where their job is to help first-generation students to get through whatever they need to get through," Mathur said.
Edited by Natalia Rodriguez, Senna James, Tiya Talwar, Sophia Braccio and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at dbtorre4@asu.edu.
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Daniela Torres Martinez is a part-time community reporter for the State Press. She has previously worked with the Chic Magazine at the Walter Cronkite School. She is in her first semester with The State Press.
