As a first-generation, low-income college student, my experience navigating higher education has shaped much of who I am and the work I have chosen to do. More than 10 years after graduating, I have built a career in postsecondary access and success, but my connection to this work started much earlier.
Growing up, my parents always stressed the importance of going to college, even though they did not have the opportunity themselves. They would tell me, “Tienes que seguir tus estudios,” or “You have to keep going to school.” Even though none of us knew exactly what it took to get to college, they assured me we would figure it out.
And eventually, we did.
Things started to make sense when I joined a college access and success program as a junior in high school. I learned about the process (and all the paperwork!) of applying to college. As the oldest, I was also able to support my siblings through their own college journeys. We spent a lot of late nights working through the FAFSA and figuring out which classes to register for.
Getting into college was one thing. Learning how to be a college student was something else entirely.
I was so excited to start at St. Edward’s University. It was my dream school. But once classes started, I remember thinking everyone around me was so much smarter than me. I had always been a good student, so suddenly questioning whether I was smart enough to be there was scary in a way I didn’t expect.
It took me a while to realize college isn’t just about getting perfect grades. What really helped me was getting involved on campus, giving back to my community, and working at the library through work-study. Those were the places where I met people and stopped worrying so much about every test. I still tell students this today: the transition to college is hard, but a grade doesn’t decide whether you belong there or are capable of succeeding.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I knew I wanted to keep giving back after graduating. My plan was to become an immigration lawyer. Then I joined AmeriCorps for two years, with the same program that helped me get to college in the first place. Those two years changed everything.
What started with AmeriCorps became my career. For the past ten years, I’ve worked with high school and college students, supported first-gen students and families, and led programs that help students get to, and through, college. I see pieces of my own family in a lot of the families I work with. I know what it’s like to care deeply about education while also trying to figure out systems nobody in your family has dealt with before.
I’ve also kept learning this whole time, not because I have to, but because I really like it. I earned a Master’s Degree in Student Development and Leadership in Higher Education and am now working on a Ph.D. in Education at the University of the Incarnate Word. Along the way, I’ve studied adult learning, entrepreneurship, and now organizational leadership. What I keep coming back to, though, is nonprofit leadership, equity, and people’s lived experiences, especially taking the time to really listen to someone’s story.
This is part of what interested me in the Programs Graduate Fellowship with Trellis Foundation. Most of my experience has been within programs that work directly with students, so I was drawn to seeing postsecondary access and success from a different perspective. I see this fellowship as a chance to better understand the larger story of postsecondary attainment in Texas while learning more about philanthropy and the role foundations can play in supporting this work.
I am excited to learn from the Trellis Foundation team and its partners while bringing my own experiences to the fellowship. Most of all, I am looking forward to hearing the stories behind the work happening across Texas and taking what I learn back to my own work and community.
About the Author
Erika Montoya is a doctoral candidate at the University of the Incarnate Word, where her studies include adult education, entrepreneurship, and organizational leadership. Her research and professional interests focus on adult learning, nonprofit leadership, and advancing equity in educational and community-based organizations, with an emphasis on learning from people’s stories and lived experiences. As a first-generation college student, Erika has a strong connection to college access and student success. She has over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, supporting students through college access and success programs. Through her graduate fellowship with Trellis Foundation, she is excited to continue learning about the work happening across Texas that supports students and their postsecondary goals. Outside of work and school, Erika enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her Shih Tzu, Brisket, watching entirely too much reality TV, and going to the movies.