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:
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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.
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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.
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.
Sara
HOW A COMMITMENT TO USING EVERY RESOURCE LED TO SARA’S FIRST A IN MATH AND ACCEPTANCE TO SMITH COLLEGE
Sara graduated in May of 2018 with a concentration in Political Science and transferred to Smith College to study political science and film production. Sara talks about her experience first dropping out of college and then coming back. She provides some ideas for prioritizing time while in school. Sara used a number of supports while in college, including: tutoring, the Wellness Center, faculty, and student clubs.
Alexis
FINDING SUPPORT AND A NEW PERSPECTIVE THE SECOND TIME AROUND
Alexis graduated from Harold Washington College in the Spring of 2014 with a concentration in social work. She plans to return to school to get a degree in early childhood education. She is a first-generation college student. After high school, she went away to a four-year college, but ended up dropping out because when she hit an academic obstacle, she didn’t know to reach out to others for support and ended up feeling isolated. When she restarted at the City Colleges, she came with a new perspective and now considers asking for help to be a necessary part of being a successful college student. Alexis found the Writing Lab, and her classmates to be helpful resources.