My name's Vanessa Duran
I am senior academic advisor
in the Veteran Affairs Center
and currently serving as interim director.
Getting an education, for me,
was just something that
I wanted to accomplish for myself.
Being raised in a single-family home
college wasn't necessarily encouraged.
Obtaining a good-paying job
was very encouraged.
But once I started college at Brookhaven
and took my first class
I knew that education was going
to be a lifelong journey for me
and I wasn't going to stop
until I received a degree
or two.
My advice for a first-gen student
is to take their college experience one semester at a time
and just be in the moment.
And when you go to class
don't think of it as a chore
or something that you have
to do to obtain a grade
Think of it as an opportunity
to learn something
and to walk away with real knowledge
and just be in the moment
and enjoy it.
