Abigail Forsythe, Class of 2023

My FGLI story is pretty standard. Both of my parents started college, but neither one finished with any sort of degree. They had me when they were very young, barely into their twenties, and have both worked very hard to give me the life that I have. From the time that I was in the second grade, I was encouraged to be the best student because that was what would get me into college when the time came. I became a very successful student academically, remained the top-ranked student in my high school class all four years. But when it came time to apply for college, I found myself in a predicament. For so long I’d had my sights set on the best schools, and yet I had no idea how to apply to them. I didn’t know how to complete FAFSA. My school didn’t even teach the CSS Profile, so I had no idea what that even was. I didn’t know how to write an exceptional essay. I didn’t know that it was recommended to take the SAT as well as the ACT. All of these challenges were presented to me in quick succession, and sadly they weren’t things that my parents could really help me with. I was fortunate enough to be offered a free service through the ACT that gave me a student mentor, and I’m very grateful to her because I know she gave me a lot of advice that no one else could. I’m here. I made it, but there are definitely mountains I had to climb that many other students at Vanderbilt couldn’t even imagine.

Being FGLI hasn’t had any kind of detrimental impact on me during my time at Vanderbilt, but there is certainly a gap between students like me and the legacy/1% students that go here. I came in as a freshman not really knowing how to be a college student. I didn’t know the best way to pick classes or how to choose a major. I didn’t really know where a lot of my resources were or the extent to which I could be helped by the administration. But thankfully over time I have learned that there are people here that are willing to help, and resources that assist in bridging the “base knowledge” gap for students whose parents aren’t much help in navigating college life.

My friends have been my greatest allies, and really that’s because a lot of them are in similar situations as I am. They’re not all first-generation or low income, but they’re not legacies or the top 1% either. So we’ve all managed to help each other adjust to this new chapter of life and navigate it as best we can. They’re always the first people I go to when I’m confused or lost. And then there’s FirstVU, which as an organization I feel has become increasingly more important as a resource for FGLI students. They’ve been incredible as advocates and student mentors for me this past year. Dean Gresalfi and Dean Dobson have also been great allies, always willing to listen to and work with FGLI students to assist in any way that they can.