Video Interviews
These interviews feature community college graduates (and near graduates) and first-generation students reflecting on their academic journeys in their own words. Each video offers insight into the motivations, challenges, and decisions that shaped their experience—from first-day anxiety to choosing majors, managing work and school, and building relationships on campus. You’re invited to listen deeply, pause where something resonates, and share these stories with students or colleagues who may benefit from them. When viewing these interviews, please:
Do not download, repost, or share the videos outside of this site.
Approach the stories with the same care and respect you would in a face-to-face conversation.
Thank you for helping protect and honor the voices of our students.
There are two ways to navigate the video library.
To get to popular themes or to return back to the full video library, use the “skip to” feature below.
To follow smaller themes, note that each video post has tags listed at the bottom of the description page. Click on a tag to get to other videos with the same tag.
Click on the student’s photo to get to their full interview.
Skip to: featured interviews | faculty and staff interviews | 2025 interviews | back to full interview library
Durel
FROM COLLEGE DROPOUT TO YALE UNIVERSITY
Durel, who graduated in 2018, shares how he struggled in college the first time, and how he turned it around on his second try. He discusses the importance of mindset, and candidly shares his experience with anxiety attacks. He found both tutoring and club involvement to be important to his success. Having also served as a tutor himself, he offers tips on how to use tutoring effectively. In his own words, he went from being “bad at math” to succeeding in engineering at a challenging university and he believes you can too.
Selena
OVERCOMING ANXIETY AND ENGINEERING HER OWN SUCCESS
Selena graduated with an AS in science in 2016. At the time of this interview, she was majoring in electrical engineering at University of Illinois in Champagne. Selena’s parents grew up in Mexico and did not have access to education; her “big why” for attending college is to honor her father. She also traces her motivation back to a childhood memory, which showed her the importance of education. Selena’s biggest tip for incoming students is to learn about fixed versus growth mindset. Selena speaks highly of the help she got for her test-taking anxiety at the Wellness Center. She also used a number of other resources including office hours and tutoring.
Jazmine
PUSHING THROUGH CHALLENGES AND ASKING FOR HELP
Jazmine graduated in May of 2017 with a concentration in biology. She then transferred to Governor’s State, where she to pursued biology. Her parents did not attend college, but encouraged her to go. She discusses the challenge of her grandfather being diagnosed with cancer, getting over her nervousness about asking for help, and how she overcame a particularly tough class. Supports Jasmine encourages students to use include: tutoring, faculty office hours, and fellow students.
Em
WORKING TO OVERCOME BURNOUT AND SOCIAL ANXIETY ON THE PATH TO AN ENGINEERING DEGREE
Em graduated in 2025 and is transferring to complete their engineering degree. After high school burnout and two years in customer service, they returned to college with a passion for making STEM more inclusive. They’ve relied on professor office hours, the Wellness Center, and the Access Center. Em has found that college has built their confidence and helped them lessen their social anxiety. They speak thoughtfully about both the promise and pitfalls of AI in school and in everyday life including how they use AI to help understand social cues.
Juan
FINDING BELONGING AND SUCCESS AFTER DROPPING OUT
Juan graduated in Spring 2018 with a concentration in science before transferring to UIC to major in biology. A first-generation college student, he left high school before returning to earn his diploma at an alternative school, then pressed on to higher education. He credits his persistence in college to the strong connections he built through student organizations, as well as the support he found in resources like the Wellness Center, student clubs, and his peers.