When young people aspire to higher education, preconceived notions can cloud reality — leading us to envision something closer to Animal House or Legally Blonde than an authentic college experience. Pop culture inundates us with ideas of what attending a university “should” look like (often conveniently glossing over the parts where characters are actually learning).
When you pan away from fantasy and zoom in on reality, however, you will discover that most media representations of college read more like a myth than the truth. Movies and television shows often portray higher education from a narrow scope — inclusive only of cookie-cutter experiences concocted by screenwriters.
For first-generation students, university life can look especially unlike the pop culture picture. Although first-gen learners enroll in universities at high rates, they’re more likely to drop out before earning their degrees. Whether it’s a lack of institutional familiarity, psychological factors like imposter syndrome, or difficulties juggling non-academic responsibilities, first-gen students often confront unique trials — obstacles many learning institutions lack the resources to help them overcome.
For siblings Leslie Argueta Linares and Carlos Omar Argueta, the challenges of being first in their family to achieve higher education were no less present. However, with each other by their side, as well as the support of the Goodwin family, Leslie and Carlos confronted and tackled every barrier head-on — not only earning their degrees but positioning themselves to become leaders and advocates within the community.
“I always had a passion for giving and for helping.”
From a young age, Leslie Argueta Linares was intrinsically compelled to make a meaningful difference in her community. “I always had a passion for giving and for helping,” she recalls. “When I was little, this looked like becoming a teacher. I would actually dress up in heels and everything to practice.”
Separated in age by only a year, her younger brother, Carlos Omar Argueta, also found himself motivated to succeed at what he set his mind to — sports. “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a professional soccer player.” he recounts. “I was always interested in sports at school, and finally started playing on my middle school team. I played for parks and rec, too, and continued on in high school.”
As first-generation immigrants, Leslie and Carlos’ aspirations were met with support from their mother, who encouraged them to pursue the educational opportunities available to them. Although their experiences as first-gen immigrants played an integral role in shaping Leslie and Carlos, their status as members of the East Hartford community was equally indispensable to their identities. Having immigrated from El Salvador at 3 and 4 years old, Leslie and her brother recall beginning their educational journey in kindergarten during the mid-2000s — marking the start of their time in East Hartford’s schools.
Priorities in the present
For Leslie and Carlos, East Hartford was always home — and, in many ways, Goodwin was their home, too. “We remember when Goodwin was the Data Institute Business School,” Leslie recollects. “But actually, I think we were really first introduced to Goodwin when it became Goodwin College. My mom got a cleaning job working third shift at Goodwin. My brother and I would go to work with her, sit in the lounge, do our homework, and hang out.”
The siblings had front seat tickets as they watched Goodwin evolve — becoming a central influence in the local community and beyond before, eventually, gaining status as a university. Likewise, Goodwin watched Leslie and Carlos grow, too.
Still, neither Leslie nor Carlos took a direct path from secondary school to higher education. After an accident left their mother unable to provide for the family, their reality was altered, and their dreams were put on hold. With both siblings working to make ends meet, their priorities were tied to the present moment. “We never really had in mind that we would go to college due to everything we were dealing with in regard to our immigration status and our family,” Leslie shares. “Initially, our thought was that we just had to work and get through.”
“My passion for helping people led me to Human Services.”
After two years focusing on making ends meet, Leslie once again began looking to the long-term. Knowing she had the compassion, motivation, and personal experience to make the difference she wished to see in the world, Leslie made her next big move—she decided to pursue her degree.
In doing so, she made two important choices that would shape her journey to come: she decided she’d attend Goodwin and settled on Human Services as the perfect degree path for her. Determining that Goodwin was the place to study wasn’t a particularly difficult choice. “I felt really familiar with the school since my mother had worked there,” she explains, “and my passion for helping people led me to Human Services.”
Self-learning and self-discovery
While Leslie may have been familiar with Goodwin, the decision to enroll was still intimidating. “Growing up, I pictured college like a dream life. I always thought I couldn’t do it because I was first-generation, and it wasn’t something in my family cycle,” she recalls. “There was a lot of self-talk, self-learning, and self-discovery. I was working, paying bills, and caring for my mother at home — not like most students going to college, who don’t have to worry about those things.”
Embracing the notion that her college experience wouldn’t follow a picture-perfect playbook was an adjustment. But as Leslie acclimated to the Goodwin culture, she quickly found something more significant than the stuff of fiction — authentic support from staff, faculty, and fellow students. “I felt welcomed just by the fact that I was accepted into the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP),” she shares. “It helped in huge ways financially, offering big stress relief.”
Connecting with the Co-op
In addition to gaining experience at a nursing home in Manchester, Leslie’s status with EOP allotted her the opportunity to work a job that would change her life. Goodwin’s on-campus Ann B. Clark Co-op was more than a paycheck or work-study opportunity — it was a source of inspiration.
Leslie participating in the 2022 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Ann B. Clark Co-op.
Through the Co-op, Leslie found an indispensable friend and confidant in Community and Education Service Learning Coordinator Isamar Rodriguez. Isamar — a fellow first-generation Latina — served as a guidepost for Leslie, who began reframing her narrative as a first-gen student. “I spent four years with Isamar in Co–op. By connecting with her, I started to realize things and understand myself, and my lifestyle, a little more.” she offers. “Doing drives together to help families and the community was also impactful.”
Goodwin University is more than a school. We’re a community — dedicated to providing the support our students need to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals. Learn more about our student-centered support services today!
“I wanted to be involved in my community and change people’s lives.”
Before long, Leslie wasn’t the only one in her family to enroll in Goodwin. Having his own dreams of achieving a college education, Carlos soon found himself ready to follow in his sister’s footsteps. “I was bought on how my sister talked about it,” he remembers. “She was a big support system.”
This sentiment is echoed by countless first-generation learners. While younger siblings may face similar obstacles as first-gen students, their likelihood of making it to the graduation stage increases if a sibling has attended college, too. By having an older sister who gained institutional familiarity, college was becoming a bigger part of their family culture. And with Leslie’s help navigating the experience, higher education seemed all-the-more achievable.
Carlos attending the Commencement Ceremony on June 3, 2023.
“When I first started at Goodwin, my sister had been advising me because I was still working,” Carlos recounts. Determining that he would maintain soccer as a passion and hobby, he set his sights on a plan of study — an associate degree in Homeland Security, which would allot him the opportunity to positively impact others. “I thought being an officer would be awesome. I was just working and going to school, and realized I wanted to be involved in my community and change people’s lives.”
While attending the University with his sister may have made the transition to higher education smoother for Carlos, his first semester presented significant challenges. “My first semester was when the COVID pandemic started,” he shares. “We weren’t going to classes on campus.” Moreover, remote learning didn’t assuage all his anxiety about being a first-generation student. “There’s pressure in feeling like you can’t let your parents down. Your family didn’t make all these sacrifices just for you to not pass your classes.”
Changing the chapter
Despite having no choice but to begin his journey remotely, Carlos felt the immediate embrace of the Goodwin community. “One of the things we both really liked about Goodwin is that it’s a much smaller university. We felt lucky to be in smaller classes and get one-on-one support,” Carlos explains. “Our cohort groups repeated, too, so you could get to know people in your program and study together.”
For both Leslie and Carlos, the support offered by members of the Goodwin community was indispensable. “The teachers and advisors played a huge part,” Carlos reflects. “Kim Myers was awesome, and I could rely on her for everything. If there were things I didn’t understand or needed help with, she would always make herself accessible.”
Expanding on Carlos’ sentiments, Leslie notes that it wasn’t only the professors who had their backs—it was the committed compassion of support services, too. “People like Isamar Rodriguez, Nicole Miller (Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), and Travis Samuels (EOP Specialist and Case Manager,) would consistently check up on us, and it was a huge relief,” Leslie shares. “They put me on point, and I knew they were there to support me. I knew that if I needed help, there were always people I could contact. “I’m very blessed to have met the individuals I did during my time at Goodwin, it opened a lot of new chapters for me.”
“Overall, my best moments were being put out there”
Amidst cultural conversations questioning the relevance of higher education in a 21st-century society, Leslie and Carlos quickly identify the benefits many people overlook — attending a university doesn’t just help you grow as a learner, but as a person, too.
Carlos valued having a safe space to step out of his comfort zone and develop his public-speaking skills. “I liked presenting at the end of the year and semester. Those challenged me as a person to talk in front of others. After a while, I became more fluent and stopped being so nervous.”
Likewise, Leslie notes that one of the defining features of her time at Goodwin was overcoming her shyness to harness her voice. “I was always very shy during the first two years, but we’d always have dinner, do presentations, and other things like that, which continued opening more doors,” she illustrates. “Speaking at a forum, in public, helped me put myself out there. Volunteer opportunities, and working for the Co-op, helped shape me professionally and personally. Overall, my best moments were being put out there and being included as a part of so many events.”
Reaching the finish line
Sitting in the audience of Dunkin’ Park on June 3, 2023, you could hardly imagine Leslie was once uneasy about addressing a crowd. Taking the commencement stage with a calm demeanor and effortless decorum, she inspired those in the tightly packed stadium delivering an inspiring address. “Class of 2023 – give yourself a round of applause. Getting a degree — whether it’s a certificate, associate, bachelor’s, or master’s — is incredibly hard, and we don’t talk about that enough.”
Leslie delivering her commencement address at the June 2023 ceremony.
Speaking from the heart, Leslie expanded. “A lot of sacrifices are required, especially when you’re a first-generation student, an inner-city student, a traditional age student, a non-traditional student, a veteran student, DACA students, and dreamers.”
While Leslie was the first in her family to enroll in college, she wasn’t the only one to receive a diploma that day. Finishing her bachelor’s just as Carlos was finishing his associate degree, the two siblings reached the finish line in unison—echoing the essential support they offered each other all along the way.
A limitless road ahead
Degrees in hand, Leslie and Carlos now find themselves perfectly positioned to pursue their passions. “I’m working on becoming a police officer,” Carlos shares. “It can be competitive, but I’ve been working hard to make it happen.” In addition to strategically striding towards his dream job, Carlos continues partaking in recreational soccer.
While Carlos is uncertain whether he’ll continue his education down the road, Leslie knows another degree lies ahead of her. For now, however, she’s focused on continuing to develop her professional identity — providing essential support to children in the Goodwin Magnet School System while continuing to make a difference at Manchester Nursing Home. “Right now,” she says,
“I’m not entirely sure what I’ll go back to school for. I would like to gain more experience and really know what I’m going to do before I go out there and do it.”
This isn’t to say she doesn’t have a vision in mind — rather, Leslie is assessing the best path toward achieving her big-picture goal. “I would love to start a nonprofit and open a refuge for immigrants and low-income families,” she outlines, citing her work with Isamar as a chief influence in forming that dream.
“It will all be worth it”
Leslie Argueta Linares and Carlos Omar Argueta hope their success as first-generation students will inspire others to pursue their degrees — offering words of wisdom for future first-gen learners. “It’s not going to be easy, but at Goodwin, you have all the support in the world. From the library and students to the advisors,” Carlos offers. “You just have to go out and look for it. It’s going to be a lot of hard work, but it will all be worth it.”
Carlos and Leslie following the June 2023 commencement.
Leslie extends similar encouragement—especially keeping other Latinx learners in mind. “It’s hard, and it may feel a little bit more intimidating for first-gen Latinos,” she shares. “You may see people who don’t look like you, but if you reach out and seek support, you can find the people who understand you.”
Reiterating that higher education is an opportunity for empowerment, Leslie urges future first-gen students to be their own navigators — the writers of their own unique stories. “If you want a college education and want to make a change, you can go for it,” Leslie attests. “It may not be the typical experience, but it will be the best thing you ever chose.
At Goodwin University, we start with you. Learn more about joining the Goodwin community today! Call 800-889-3282 or text 860-467-1511.