Wow, this thread is awesome!
I am also a low income minority student, and managed to not be first generation due to the hard work of my parents - who by the way were not even together when they went for their grad degrees. Both JD's. And yes - still low income, but keep reading and you'll see why. My mother went back to college while I was in elementary school, then went to Law School while I was in high school. We graduated the same year. She was taking care of my sister and I, working full time, and going to school at night. As I write this I realize just how proud of her I really should be. My father got his JD while I was pre-K. He had overcome drug addiction, went to a CUNY school, and kept going right to Law School. He remarried, but we still had a relationship. He passed away in '03, but I so wish he was here to share these grad school moments with me.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being "different" from the other students. I love that I don't come from a wealthy, jet-setting set. I love that I ride the train home. I love that I have had experiences that they can only imagine. I received my BFA, and MA, and will be working towards my PhD in the Fall - all from big snot-nosed universities - and I love that I have been able to live a "real" life while being there. Sure it's harder having to work, but when you graduate you get to say "I maintained a 3.875 (or probably 4.0 for most of you!) while going to school full-time, and working nights!". That means so much more than "my mom and dad paid for it and I had an allowance." Now trust me, I'm not hating on that person either - if my mommy and daddy had money to pay for it and give me an allowance I doubt that I would have said no! But this way you've worked for everything you got. And if you're in the Social Sciences like me, you've likely experienced many of the things other students in you're field have only read about. It's awesome. We offer an insight some don't have. At the end of the day, I have more people wanting to be around me than I'd actually like to be around. I embrace my "abnormality" and we all should!