Accelerate Faculty

We asked students to share their first-gen stories. Guadalupe Barajas is majoring in Art Education, and plans to become an art teacher. She is currently finishing up her practicum hours, will be student teaching in the spring, and is planning to graduate in May 2026.

My decision to come to Alverno was unique. I transferred here in 2023 after the closure of Cardinal Stritch University. It was disheartening, but I immediately felt welcomed by the admissions team at Alverno and even more by my advisor, Marie Schoeppach. They all made the process a more lighthearted one. Marie has always been someone I can confide in when it comes to academic and personal pursuits.

When I first started college, I really struggled with picking a major. I knew that I wanted to work in the artist industry, but I wasn't sure what the right fit was. I had done a lot of previous work with illustration and graphic design but never felt passionate enough about either. It wasn't until I thought about becoming an art teacher that I was able to find my spark.

I love working with diverse learners and helping them express themselves through art. I believe it's important for students of color to have a teacher who looks like them and who can genuinely relate to them. I never had teachers of color, so it was natural for me to feel disconnected from them. Growing up there were times when my classmates and I would speak Spanish and get in trouble, simply because the teachers didn’t understand what we were saying. In my classrooms, I plan to foster multiple languages and make sure students feel safe representing their culture. I aspire to empower students, specifically Latine students, when it comes to finding their voice — whether it is in the arts or not. I want them to know that they have someone advocating for them and supporting them regardless of the path they chose to take. All students deserve someone who understands them on a cultural level.

One of the hurdles I have faced as a first-generation student was not feeling empowered to use my voice. Someone who helped me to overcome this issue is my professor, Dara Larson. I have approached her with personal issues when I struggled with using my voice, and advocating for certain issues within my artwork. She has been a great support and has taught me how to not censor myself within my work. Dara has allowed me to use my artist platform to speak up about global and personal issues experienced as a first-generation student. Another professor who has helped me to grow in the short time I have been in his classroom is Nicholas Schilz, he's a great figure drawing instructor and he also has helped me when I have felt my first-generation voice was being silenced.

When it comes to first-generation students pursuing higher education, it's important for us to take action in these spaces because we deserve to be loud and take up space. Many of us come from low-income families where resources and networking connections are limited. Pursuing higher education allows us to open doors to opportunities we may have never known existed. We deserve these opportunities just as much as any other student.