Intergenerational Trauma and Being First-Gen

Works Cited

Hyun Ju Jeong, Sujin Kim & Jungmin Lee (2023) Mental Health, Life Satisfaction, Supportive Parent Communication, and Help-seeking Sources in the wake of COVID-19: First-generation College Students (FGCSs) Vs. Non-first-generation College Students (non-FGCSs), Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 37:2, 71-86, https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2021.1906189

Smith, T. (2023). TRIO Programs Aren't Designed to Do It All: Reflective Conversations to Support First-Generation Students. About Campus, 28(1), 23-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/10864822231169221 

Sophie, Isobel, et al. "Intergenerational Trauma and its Relationship to Mental Health Care: A Qualitative Inquiry." Community Mental Health Journal, vol. 57, no. 4, 2021, pp. 631-643. ProQuest, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00698-1. 

Artist's Statement
Riddhi Patel 

As a first generation college student, I wanted to shed light on the experiences of students like me, and how intergenerational trauma complicates attending university. My story, like many others, is shaped by not only my lived experience, but by my parents', grandparents', and ancestors' experiences as well. With every step that I take towards fulfilling my dreams, I carry the weight of my family's wishes for me, their unfulfilled aspirations for themselves, and the responsibility of setting up the future generations of my family for success. It is a painful but inspiring truth that holds me back, and at the same time, inspires me to move forward.

I am the eldest daughter of an Indian immigrant family. I have watched my family struggle, whether it be with finances, connecting with one another, with their faith, with making a name for themselves. I've watched my mom and dad work odd hours, way past the limit of an average work week. I've listened to my ba's and masi's stories of immigrating to America, navigating a world that does not accept them, and leaving a world they had grown out of. This is merely a piece of my and family's story, and I wanted to capture it, as well as the experiences of others like me, through a series of paintings.

In these paintings, I attempted to portray the weight that first generation college students carry when moving through the academic world. Feelings of imposter syndrome, worrying about career paths, uncertainty about finances, balancing family's expectations with personal dreams; all of this is overwhelming to carry around. At the same time, I wanted to ensure the viewer sees that all is not lost, and that hope, success, and healing is possible for students like me. This project helped me realize the power of malleability and how dynamic our minds and bodies are. More importantly, it opened my eyes to how interconnected humans are, and how both trauma and healing do not exist in a vacuum. Therefore, I believe that we all deserve to learn from our ancestral pasts as well as have access to a community that accepts us in our most vulnerable form.

In order to do this, as a collective, we need to reconstruct how we view the task of healing. A common and valid approach to healing trauma is seeking out help from mental health professionals. While this is definitely a useful tool, is it not accessible for everyone. I asked myself, what is a more obtainable resource? I found the answer to be quite simple, even though most of us find it hard to do this: reaching out to our community. Our communities can be anything and anyone we feel a connection to, and while it is nerve-racking to be vulnerable, we should be able to share our stories within our communities, which will allow us to hold the weight of healing. Radical reconstruction of how we view the concept of struggling, and how we approach asking for help, is necessary to make healing more of a collective process and less of a burden.