Imran Musaji is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Wichita State University. Musaji emphasizes that first-gen students who are struggling may end up being some of your most successful students, and that they may just need an extra push to reach their potential.

Wichita State University is home to nearly 5,000 first-generation students, individuals whose caregivers weren't able to complete a college degree and who lack the firsthand experience to tackle college life. To help with their transition, Wichita State offers a number of resources to first-gen students to support them during their time in college, including F1RST GEN SHOCKERS.

Hear from Imran Musaji, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders and a current employee at Wichita State who went to college as a first-gen student, about the first-gen experience.

St. Louis, Missouri

I completed my undergraduate degree at Michigan State University in anthropology/science and technology in society (double major). I completed my first Master of Science in human biology at the University of Indianapolis. I completed my second Master of Arts and eventually my doctorate in communication sciences and disorders here at Wichita State.

My mother and father are both incredibly smart and driven people, but they faced many obstacles and struggles to get where they are. For both, a lack of formal education was a barrier they faced again and again. They made sure that my brothers and I had the best education, that we performed well and that we could go to college to study what we wanted. My dad called education an e-ticket. Back when Disneyland first opened, there were different tickets that let you into different attractions. The best ticket was the e-ticket which would grant you access to any ride in the entire park. In my family, education was the ultimate e-ticket, because with it we could go anywhere or do anything we wanted to do in life.

College and education are only a small facet of people’s intelligence, knowledge and skills. While I intend to be a lifelong learner and feel that formal education has made me a better me, two-thirds of Americans won’t complete college. Past generations in my family did not get that opportunity. Those people are just as important and valuable. I want advanced education to be available to everyone, and I never want our education systems to be a barrier and limitation for the many amazing people out there waiting to shine.

There are a million ways that our society subtly and not so subtly treats individuals differently. Education is one of the few tools we have found that can dramatically alter those dynamics for not just an individual, but for their entire family and community. The more first-gen students who graduate, the more radically we shift the future in ways that benefit everybody.

Be aware that the strategies, tools, skills and knowledge that are often considered “foundational” or “basic” may not be so for everyone. The first-gen student struggling with test anxiety or having trouble with time-management in your introduction to basket weaving class may not be a bad student — they may even one day be the best basket weaver you have ever seen — but they may need a slightly different approach, supports, resources or explicit training before they can reach their potential.

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

Follow Wichita State on social media:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• YouTube
• X | Twitter
• Facebook