This book explores the critical decisions faced by first-generation professionals in higher education, focusing on the intersection of identity, family expectations, and career aspirations. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory and enriched by the expertise of over 25 first-generation contributors, it offers valuable insights into how first-generation identity shapes career pathways and day-to-day work. Each chapter highlights asset-based frameworks and lived experiences, concluding with practical activities designed to help readers explore their leadership potential. This edited volume is an essential resource for first-generation professionals pursuing careers in higher education, as well as for supervisors, scholars, and graduate students seeking to better understand this important academic community.
Table of Contents:
Part 1: Section 1: Transitions and Decision Making 1. The Push and Pull of Being a First-Generation Professional 2. The Complex Blueprint: Navigating the Unique Dynamics of First-Generation Professionals and Familial Expectations 3. Ambition & Adversity: First-Generation Professionals Building Self-Efficacy Part 2: Section 2: Decisions Toward Career Success 4. First in Higher Education Associations 5. FAKE-ulty: Moving from Practitioner to Faculty as a First-Generation Professional 6. Expand Your Scope: Sharing Your Expertise in Spaces Inside and Outside of Higher Education 7. The Power of Claiming and Sharing Your First-Generation Voice in the Classroom 8. First-Generation Professionals Serving in Influential Campus Roles Part 3: Section 3: Empowerment Through Decision-Making 9. Understanding, Cultivating, and Using Your Social Capital as a First-Generation Professional 10. The Calculated Risk Factors: Socioeconomic Status and Career Decision Making 11. The Delicate Dance: Family Expectations and the Workplace
About the Author :
Mary Blanchard Wallace is the Assistant Vice President for Student Experience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
Robin M. Williamson is the Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Central Arkansas, USA.
Review :
"For years, “first-generation college student” was the only language available to describe those of us long past graduation and deep into our professional lives. This groundbreaking collection finally names and validates the first-generation professional experience—and provides a much-needed framework for understanding and elevating it. Required reading for higher education."
La'Tonya Rease Miles, Ph.D., The ADEii Health Foundation and Santa Clara University
"Charting a Career Path as a First-Generation Higher Education Professional: Decision Making, Families, and the Future is a celebration of the assets, experiences and ethic that first generation professionals bring to our institutions. Drawing on their lived experiences, research, and theory, Wallace and Williamson have created a work that shines a much-needed spotlight on the richness of the first-generation professional experience. The insights they provide guide first-generation professionals toward communities of impact and institutions to becoming places where all of our members can contribute and thrive."
Dr. John Mark Day, Vice President for Student Affairs, DePauw University
"This essential new volume on first-generation professionals arrives at a critical juncture when higher education urgently needs to understand and support those who navigate invisible barriers in their career trajectories. By grounding their work in Social Cognitive Career Theory and weaving together research with authentic narratives from diverse first-generation professionals, Wallace and Williamson create an accessible yet theoretically grounded roadmap for career decision-making that honors both individual agency and systemic realities. The innovative three-section structure—from transitions to career success to empowerment—provides practical frameworks for professionals at every stage while advancing the essential community of practice around this identity. This book recognizes and prioritizes what our institutions must embrace: when we invest in first-generation professionals through mentorship, professional development, and systemic support, we strengthen our capacity to serve first-generation students who need to see themselves reflected in our leadership."
Sarah E. Whitley, Ph.D., principal, Sova Solutions
"This book is a vital read for all first generation higher education professionals and continuing professionals. Had I read this book decades ago, I would have prepared more deliberately for a higher education executive career and entered each new administrative position with greater awareness and confidence. This book would have guided me further upward as an education executive. It would have enabled me to mentor other FirstGen higher ed professionals more effectively and contribute more creatively to education."
Doris Ching, Emeritus Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Hawaii-Manoa and University of Hawaii System; Former Interim Chancellor University of Hawaii-West Oahu; NASPA Past President
"This volume represents a continuation of a ground-breaking exploration of the ways that first-generation status and backgrounds shape and strengthen career perspectives and potential impacts on the higher education enterprise. Making sense of how those experiences influence professional prospects only strengthens our understanding of the campus environment and necessary supports that shape the success of the first-generation professionals that we hire and develop."
Houston D. Davis, Ph.D., President, University of Central Arkansas
