Whether you are first generation or your parents went to your college, whether you are local or from abroad, there’s one thing all college students have in common: feeling scared and confused the first week of school. I am a first-generation college student. My whole life I was pressured by my community to go to a UC but I fell short on financial help and turned to community college instead. The application was easy, College of Alameda has a beautiful campus, diverse programs caught my eye, and I quickly enrolled.