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"To be clear, I'm the first" is more than a moniker or a design printed on a t-shirt. It is a war cry. It is the part of the song that everyone knows and sings at the top of their lungs. This mantra is the beat Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKYCTC) students march to.
On November 11, 2025, I walk into the SKYCTC Student Center for the college's inaugural First-Generation Days Celebration. The room holds an amalgamation of various ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, and ways of thinking aligning and championing their reality of being first-generation students. The colors in the room resemble a Crayola 120-count crayon box. The air feels light and free of every burden. SKYCTC organizes this event to honor and recognize students who are the first in their families to attend college, creating space for connection and visibility.
In this moment, the elephant in the room becomes the point of focus. The mic stands waiting for the next person to share their story. Person after person steps forward with audacious power—our president Dr. Michelle Trawick, our student leaders, and anyone else who the urge bites. They share why this moment matters, how being first shapes their journey, and what this celebration means for our campus community.
As I sit in the room, tears flow from my eyes to see strangers become friends. Fear of telling my story vanishes. I embrace the confidence to be the first—the first and only. The audience calls me, "Heather, Heather, Heather." The surreal nature of the moment snatches my heart. I walk up, grab the mic, and tell my story of being 43 and finding out I am first-generation. All the tumultuous times, moments of feeling like the world sits on my shoulders, finally make sense.
Jackie Perdue, SKYCTC Staff and Alumni, captures the broader impact perfectly. She shares, "As a non-first-generation student, attending First Generation Day at SKYCTC transforms my perspective. I witness students participating who typically would not engage in SKY activities, which speaks volumes about the event's power to foster belonging and connection. This stands as one of the most impactful experiences I have had at SKYCTC—and it underscores why funding initiatives like this proves essential to ensure every student feels valued and supported."
The joy spreads, infecting everyone who walks by. The line of students waiting to make their "To be clear, I'm the first" wraps itself around the room. The Office of Student Life organized this celebration, securing funding through institutional grants and partnering with faculty and staff who volunteered their time. They created this space intentionally, understanding that first-generation students often navigate college without a roadmap from home.
Alex Smith, a current student, articulates what many of us feel. He says, "Seeing the large number of first-gen students here, all in the same space, empowers me. It reminds me that none of us arrive here by accident or by some stroke of luck. So many of us overcome real obstacles getting here. Financial struggles, family responsibilities, self-doubt—all these barriers exist for so many first-gen students, but we make the choice to take that next step and better ourselves by going to college."
We do not land here by accident. We arrive here by choice, by grit, and by the power of a community that refuses to let us falter. Each story shared, each tear shed, and each shirt printed builds a foundation for the next first-generation student walking through these doors. The event succeeded because students showed up for each other, because staff believed in the vision, and because our institution committed to saying loudly: you belong here.
After sharing my story, I realize the weight on my shoulders has shifted. It hasn't disappeared, but it now distributes across this room full of people who understand. The elephant in the room no longer hides in the shadows. We dragged it into the light, gave it a name, and transformed it into our anthem.
As I leave the celebration, the colors of that Crayola-box room remain vibrant in my mind. The war cry still echoes in my ears, a reminder that being the first does not burden me to carry alone but serves as a banner I wave with pride.
To be clear, I'm the first. And thanks to this day, I know I will not be the last.
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