The experiences of first-generation college students arenot monolithic. The nexus of identities matter, and this book is intended tochallenge the reader to explore what it means to be a first-generation collegestudent in higher education. Designedfor use in classrooms and for use by the higher education practitioner on acollege campus today, At theIntersections will be of value to the reader throughout their professionalcareer. The book is divided into four parts with chapters ofresearch and theory interspersed with thought pieces to provide personalstories to integrate the research and theory into lived experience. Each thoughtpiece ends with questions to inspire readers to engage with the topic. Part One: Who is a First-generation College Student?provides the reader an entre into the topic, with up-to-date data on both four-yearand two-year colleges. Part One ends with a thought piece that asks the readerto pull together some of the big ideas before moving on to look more closely atstudents' identities. Part Two: The Intersection of Identity shares theresearch, experience and thoughts of authors in relation to the individual andoverlapping identities of LGBT, low-income, white, African-American, Latinx,Native American, undocumented, female, and male students who are all also first-generationcollege students. Part Three: Programs and Practices is anintroduction to practices, policies and programs across the country. Thissection offers promise and direction for future work as institutions try tofind a successful array of approaches to make the campus an inclusive place forthe diverse population of first-generation college students.
