1) My dad is in the military and has been for a number of years and my mom used to work full-time until she was laid off a number of years ago but neither have degrees past high school. One of my sisters went to a state school for a semester before she dropped out and then earned her RN at a community college and just recently completed her BSN online; none of my other siblings have degrees.
2) I am the first in my family to go to college (and stay in college) and probably wouldn't have been able to go to school without having my schooling completely paid for (thank God!). Overall, I had to overcome the fierce doubts that my father had about me being successful in school.
3) As a first-generation student I have done extremely well in school (I will be graduating in May, probably with honors). I was accepted for two consecutive years on a research team in my department. In addition, I also have been able to have jobs as a tutor and a teacher's assistant.
4) My professors have been amazing and completely believe in me and my success. I, honestly, would not have done as well as I have without having some of my professors there to believe in me and help me through this process (especially applying to grad school). Also, in general, I have always loved learning so I definitely have a huge passion for what I am doing.