One day in class, Bryan Manoo MPA ’26 revealed something about himself he hadn’t told many people. A classmate was arguing against government subsidies, saying people tend to misuse them. Manoo, the child of street vendors in Mauritius, responded by sharing how government programs helped him go to school, pay for exams, and become the first person in his family to go to college — in the United States, no less.

While his presence at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs enriches the classroom environment and gives his peers the opportunity to learn from someone with a uniquely different background, Manoo remembers that story for another reason.

“There was no one that has made me feel like I was a first-generation student at Princeton SPIA,” Manoo said, noting that he only chose to share his background in that moment because of the topic at hand. “The financial aid that we receive helps toward that, because there’s no financial burden and no real thing to differentiate us.”

At Princeton SPIA, first-generation students — those who are the first in their families to attend an institution of higher education — have backgrounds as varied as any other segment of the student population. Many first-generation students also come from low-income homes. This fall, 17% of Princeton’s freshman undergraduate class are first-generation college students, compared with 6% of the first-year class that entered in 2005. Among Princeton SPIA graduate students, the percentage of first-generation or low income students is approximately 40%.

Several Princeton SPIA undergraduates and graduate students shared what it’s like to explore unfamiliar terrain and how the circumstances of their lives led them to public service.

Go-getters

There isn’t one defining feature about first-generation students, except that many of them made it to Princeton with less social capital than their peers. Their parents weren’t always able to offer a lot of guidance, and they often had to navigate applications and other processes on their own.

“I grew a deep sense of independence,” says Loreta Quarmine ’27, whose family moved from Ghana to North Carolina when she was seven. “I think that funnels the way I even move now, like I have to do it myself.”

Quarmine said she found the college admissions process jarring and confusing. She applied to Princeton through QuestBridge, a nonprofit that matches high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds to partner universities.

Karen Villanueva ’27 can relate. Her parents immigrated from the Philippines and Taiwan and didn’t have any experience with the American school system.

“You could just feel it sometimes, like having a friend who sits next to you in class whose parents both hold Ph.D.s and who knows that she’s for sure going to go to college,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva’s older sister guided her and encouraged her to apply to Princeton. Once here, Villanueva found a community and support in the Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity.

Community support

Finding community on campus has been important for all the first-generation students interviewed for this story. The Emma Bloomberg Center, which launched in 2021, offers mentorship, academic enrichment, and support to Princeton students and families who are new to the world of higher education.

At Princeton SPIA, FIRST+ offers a similar space for the School’s first-generation population. On Friday, Nov. 7, the group will mark National First-Generation College Celebration Day with a forum, storyteller’s lounge, alumni panel, and networking hour that brings the community together.

But those centers aren’t the only places where first-generation students have found connection. Quarmine developed a deep bond with her first-year roommates and still lives with them.

“I don’t have to feel antsy or overthink what’s going on, because it’s our house, and these are my sisters who are living there with me,” she said.

She also found support through the faculty advisors at Mathey College and through Christian Union Nova, a student group.

For someone used to doing things on her own, there has been a learning curve in seeking out support through these networks, Quarmine admits, noting, “I’ve been learning to be vulnerable and ask people for help.”

Andres Solorzano ’27, a U.S. Army veteran who transferred to Princeton from Cerritos College in Southern California, said he has found community through the Transfer, Veteran, Non-Traditional Student Programs, which is housed at the Emma Bloomberg Center, and throughout campus, including at Princeton SPIA.

“I don’t ever really feel like I’m alone,” he said. “I feel like if I ever have a question about anything, I know who to ask.”

Moved to serve

As a veteran, Solorzano said, pursuing a path to public service has been a no-brainer for him. He felt a loss of purpose after leaving active duty and said that he had become used to people depending on him. By focusing on public service, he hopes to continue supporting others, which he finds fulfilling.

“I struggle to think about how someone can be here from the background that I come from and not understand the severity of how different this is compared to the lives our friends back home get to live, and the opportunities that are afforded to them,” he said.

Solorzano’s Princeton SPIA highlight so far has been going to the Pentagon with the Center for International Security Studies, where he is an undergraduate fellow.

“For someone who used to be the lowest of the lowest-ranking private to be able to sit in rooms at the Pentagon with really important people was very full circle for me,” he said.

Like Solorzano, Manoo hopes to give back to his community after graduating from Princeton SPIA. He wants to return to Mauritius and get into politics to advance policies that help people.

“I wanted to get this education so I could maybe give back to my parents what they’ve given me, and also to inspire other people to make them believe in themselves,” Manoo said.

For the first-generation students who are just starting to navigate their college journeys, Quarmine offered a bit of advice.

“The label doesn’t define you,” she said. “In a community like this, where you are interacting with a lot of people who are of a higher-income bracket than you, sometimes it can feel like there is a disconnect. But we are all Princeton students trying to meet our goals. Focus on you, focus on your friends, focus on your support system, and make the most of your time here.”

Pictured from Left: Bryan Manoo MPA ’26, Loreta Quarmine ’27, Karen Villanueva ’27, and Andres Solorzano ’27.