Date of Award
6-29-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
School Name
Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education
Department
Education
Major Advisor
Dr. James Archibald
Second Advisor
Dr. Jess Smith
Third Advisor
Dr. Leslie Maxie
Abstract
While education is often believed to be the primary path to upward mobility, it is well documented that first-generation low-income college students (FGLI) continue to face significant and unique barriers in their pursuit of higher education and social mobility. Less is known, however about the lived experiences of FGLI graduates beyond graduation, as first-generation professionalism is a fairly new area of inquiry. The US. Department of Commerce’s Office of Civil Rights (2019) began exploring first-generation professionalism in 2019, seeking to understand how managers can better support them in the workplace, but the First Generation Professionals Initiative was paused under the current presidential administration, as it has been deemed a waste of resources (The White House, 2025). This case study builds upon the work started with the First Generation Professionals Initiative, addressing significant gaps in the existing research on the first-generation professional experience (U.S. Office of Civil Rights, 2019). In seeking to understand the complex lived experiences of early first-generation professionals, this study explored the research questions: 1) How do first-generation professionals perceive their FGLI college student experience? and 2) What are the barriers and supports that shaped their early career trajectories? I conducted 12 in-depth individual interviews with participants who self-identify as first-generation professionals, then followed up with nine of them in a focus group. Using Bourdieu’s (2021) theories of capital and social reproduction, I analyzed the interactions between social class, FGLI college student experience, and early first-generation professional experiences. Three primary themes emerged in response to Research Question 1: 1) experiencing cleft habitus as breaking a cycle and breaking connections; 2) lack of cultural capital and sense of belonging on campus; and 3) having to “hustle and grind” to compensate for lack of capital. In response to Research Question 2, participants articulated three perceived barriers: 1) lack of social capital in the form of family; 2) navigating professional culture with limited capital; and 3) a perception of being exploited in the workplace because of their social class of origin, and three perceived supports: 1) professors; 2) targeted programming; and 3) the perception of their FGLI identity as a workplace asset. By gaining a deeper understanding of the ways that social impacts first-generation professionals, higher education institutions and workplace managers can develop stronger and more accessible supports to bolster the success of this population.
Recommended Citation
McKendree, Chelsea, "Exploring Early Professional Experiences of First-generation, Low-income College Graduates" (2026). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones. 222.
https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/tdc/222