Selena Franklin

“I didn’t think I was going to go to college because no one in my family had been,” said Selena Franklin, a junior nursing major at UAFS. “I’m here so I can provide for my son and break the cycle in my family of those who think they couldn’t go to college and get a degree.”

Selena explains that when she first started at UAFS, she had no idea what she was doing. Processes like financial aid were foreign to her, and she did a lot of research at the Financial Aid Office to find out about other sources of funding like the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship.

Once Selena was accepted into the nursing program, her mom took her and her son into her home to make sure that Selena could focus on her studies.

“I could not be here if it weren’t for my mom because being able to have someone to fall back on when I know I can’t afford to pay that bill, to know that my kid is with someone who truly loves and cares for him, and to be able to come to the library at midnight because my mom says you need to make 100 percent on your tests.”

As a Hispanic minority, Selena says that she feels an even greater sense of pride. Some of her biggest struggles as a first-generation student have been trying to get family and friends to understand the importance of education. She explains the frustration of not feeling supported by many in her culture because she chose to invest in school rather than going straight to work.

“I walk around in my nursing scrubs with pride that I’ve come this far.”

Selena said she has close friends also in the nursing program who have supported and inspired her to be a better person and student. She hopes that others might identify with her story and know they are not alone.

Selena’s best advice to other first-generation students is to take pride in your education. She wants other students to know they can make their dreams a reality like she has.

This is Selena Franklin, and she is #First2Go.