Estee Hernández, Ph.D., emigrated from Mexico with her family when she was a child. Now an adjunct faculty member in the John V. Roach Honors College, she says she is deeply proud of being a “Valley girl” from Brownsville, Texas. The oldest among three children, she took up the mantle of role model and used it as inspiration as she blazed the first-generation trail to achieve her educational dreams — a bachelor’s degree in French and a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from Baylor, and ultimately a doctorate in higher education from Florida State University.
A Chicana feminist scholar, Hernández was invited to teach on an adjunct basis with the Honors College right after graduating with her doctorate.
“I’d been pretty impressed with TCU for a while, especially post-2016 student activism on campus, so I’d been admiring from afar. I think TCU is a place where student voice matters,” she says.
Hernández also is a faculty affiliate in both Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies and Women & Gender Studies. Her research broadly engages academic socialization experiences among minoritized populations, with a focus on Black and Chicana women in graduate study.
She answered some questions about her first-gen college experience:
What are some of the strengths you believe you possessed as a first-generation college student?
EH: I think my biggest strength as a first-generation student is my community orientation. I come from a low-income community where everyone knows everyone, and I graduated from a “low-performing” high school. I think I had this internalized expectation, or responsibility, that I was supposed to “make it.” I’m also the oldest sibling and from an immigrant family. That just compounds the sense of responsibility to my community. I know that younger kids — my siblings, especially — were seeing what I was doing, so I had to do well. I had to role model. I couldn’t fail. That came with many burdens, of course, but it’s also a point of pride and a source of motivation.
What was your biggest challenge as a first-generation student and how did you overcome it?
EH: My biggest challenge was information gathering and brokering, for sure. My high school didn’t do a very good job at preparing us to choose a college. I definitely felt that I had to navigate that process on my own. I had to file my own FAFSA and decode my parents’ tax information. I had to weigh financial aid packages and decide what was best for me. I was like a little economist almost! Choosing a degree plan, figuring out a major, course sequence, signing up for orientation and advising — that was all new vocabulary to me. Plus, my parents didn’t speak English well, so I also had to translate everything to them. They cared and they were supportive, but they had to overcome additional barriers to do that.
What did graduating from college (three times!) mean to you and your support system?
EH: One of the proudest and happiest moments of my life was having my family at my dissertation defense. At most defenses, it’s you, your committee and maybe a few graduate student peers. But for me, it was really important for my family to be there. Granted, there’s a language barrier, so they didn’t fully grasp what I was talking about, but I wanted them to know what had consumed my life for the last few years. My mom cried the whole time — it was adorable — and when the committee asked question after question of my project, I could sense that my mom was wanting to jump them from behind the table! But the moment when my faculty advisor announced me as Doctora Hernández, my parents ran to give me the biggest hug. It was such a special moment, and I tear up just thinking about it.
First-gen kids know that their families don’t understand what it is we do. They say, “English? Why are you studying English? Don’t you know how to speak it already?” Stuff like that. They don’t get it, of course. We have to do a lot of translating and explaining — stuff that non-first-gen kids don’t really have to be burdened with. Still, our families may not understand what it is we study; they may not be able to financially support us, but if we’re lucky, they support us with a lot of heart. We call home and they remind us of how proud they are, of how hard they’re praying for us to succeed, and I think it carries us to the finish line.
What guidance or advice would you give to other first-generation college students?
EH: Take advantage of every opportunity that TCU has to offer, and don’t hesitate to ask for help. Student Support Services is there to do some of the information gathering that, I felt, I had to do on my own as an undergraduate student. If you’re interested in graduate school, consider applying for the McNair Program. You don’t have to take on this journey on your own!
Oh, and visit faculty during their office hours. I’ll admit that we — and by “we,” I mean the higher education community at large — don’t do a good job at explaining the purpose of office hours. Sure, faculty are there to help you with homework assignments or your papers. But more importantly, faculty hold office hours to be accessible to students. Do you need more help understanding a concept? Or maybe you want to talk more about the concept because it is really interesting to you. Office hours are your opportunity to do that! Plus, cultivating relationships with even just a few faculty is never a bad idea. It can help you get a much stronger recommendation letter or reference!
What do you love most about being a Horned Frog?
EH: TCU is a really student-centered campus. And I think that’s a good thing, because I wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for students! Students aren’t always at the center of decision-making at other colleges or universities, and we shouldn’t take that for granted! I love that students know that their voices matter here.