Community heals: Lessons from qualitative narratives of first-generation college students.

Background: First-generation college students struggle to navigate the college experience. Prior research suggests that social capital plays a critical role in college success such that students benefit from building networks of support within the university.

Objective: We investigated whether social capital, in the form of engagement with university services, had positive implications for college students' mental health and academic performance, particularly for first-generation college students.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with both first- and continuing-generation students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution to gain a qualitative, in-depth understanding of the extent to which students took advantage of university services, and whether such engagement promoted their mental health and academic success. Results: Narratives revealed that first-generation students felt uniquely overwhelmed and could benefit from building connections and seeking support. Students emphasized the positive impact of community connections.

Conclusion: University-wide programming focused on community building may improve first-generation students' college experience.