ABSTRACT
It is critical to acknowledge the complex intersectionality inherent to the first-generation identity and how giving attention to the identities can allow students to see themselves more fully and institutions to serve them more effectively. The federal definition and history of first-generation status demonstrates the complexity of the first-generation identity and also traces the way in which this term cultivates a political coalition to formalize access to higher education. A recent New York Times profile of the first-generation identity noted that the definition has been found to vary across academic institutions and among university agents, citing the research of Robert K. Toutkoushian, who analyzed eight different versions of the term first-generation at colleges and universities. First-generation identity formation is often an individual process for each student, one that is shaped simultaneously by resonance and dissonance, visibility and invisibility, and aversion and affinity.
