Cerezo & Ramirez / American Psychological Association / July 2022
This chapter covers important findings on the academic outcomes of first-gen students, followed by a focus on sexual and gender diverse (SGD) students. There is a dearth of available data related to SGD first-gen students for reasons that include (a) a focus on first-gen students with a lens that primarily considers economic factors related to family of origin and community or neighborhood and (b) severe underrepresentation of SGD students in higher education research. Thus, data on first-gen and SGD students have been collected separately across the higher education literature. The chapter approaches the topic of SGD first-gen students from an intersectional lens, recognizing that students' experiences are shaped by the ways they face marginalization and exclusion in several key domains, including institutions of higher education. It offers recommendations for supporting SGD first-gen students that fall into two major domains: fostering social adjustment to college; and creating opportunities for financial stability.
