In advance of Salt
Lake Community College’s Nov. 7 celebration of first-generation students, the college
is featuring personal stories of its own first-generation students. This is
Natoya’s story.
Natoya Chung
Age:
35
Hometown:
Spanish Town,
Jamaica
A brief family
history:
I am originally
from Spanish Town, Jamaica. I was raised in Bronx, New York until I was 12. I
then moved to Utah to live with my aunt and cousins. Living in New York was
hard as I had lived with my grandma whom did a live-in job as a nanny. I stayed
with a friend’s mom during the week and came home on the weekends. My mom lived
in Jamaica and my dad lived in upstate New York. My mom sent me to the US to
have a better life and my dad at the time couldn’t raise me all alone, so my
grandmother took on the responsibility. Life was rough for my family as we were
all wanting a better life. Currently, I live in Utah with a 16-year-old son, who
I absolutely adore. He’s my world and my everything. Being a single mom,
working full-time and going to school has had its challenges, but I’m still
standing strong and continuing to pave the way for my son.
Why others
before you haven’t gone to college:
College is just
too hard to afford and most of my family felt it wasn’t necessary.
Why you chose
SLCC over other schools:
I previously
attended SLCC back in 2004 and got my associates degree but didn’t know what I
really wanted to do. Now I am back and want to do things the right way with all
the knowledge I have gained. I chose to come back to SLCC because it was close
to home, affordable and it’s always been a great school to attend.
What you like
about SLCC:
I love the
atmosphere and my teachers – they truly want you to succeed and are willing to
help you get there.
Favorite
memories/experiences so far at SLCC:
Just the
opportunities to apply for scholarships and take part in the events.
What being a
first-generation student means to you and others:
It is an exciting
step to know you did it! Facing all the trials and tribulation just to get
started. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, because I got pregnant right out of
high school and had to put college on the back burner. Some saw me as, “she’ll
never make nothing of herself,” “she is going to struggle for the rest of her
life” and some saw me as “maybe this will make her grow up faster and make
something of herself” and “she will make a big difference in that child’s
life.” I had lots of negative and positive reactions. The overall experience of
being a first-generation student made me proud and thankful for having the
ability to pursue my education and for never taking anything for granted
What kinds of
support have you found for first-generation students:
There are lots of
support for first-generation students. I feel like more and more parents are
pushing their kids to go to college and most of them want to fulfill that
dream.
Dream job:
Eventually own my
own business and become a famous model.
Plan B:
Become a Director
or SVP in a corporation working in operations.
Plans after
SLCC:
Complete my bachelor’s degree and to become an underwriter.