“It’s a Strength That I Draw From”: First-Generation Background as a Cultural Resource in Law School

The literature on first-generation college students largely focuses on the challenges they may experience in college, and this orientation extends to studies of graduate students. The authors contribute to an asset-based understanding of first-generation student experiences by illuminating how first-generation students in a selective law school use their background as a cultural resource. Using qualitative interviews with 16 first-generation law students, findings reveal how students draw on their backgrounds as a source of motivation and purpose, social support, resourcefulness, and appreciation for the value of difference. Presented findings have important implications for understanding first-generation student experiences in professional school settings and background-specific resources that help facilitate success in graduate school.

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