OU has a large population of first-generation students who face a unique set of hurdles while pursuing higher education, though programs can provide support systems to help them feel at home.
The university defines a first-generation student as someone whose parents or legal guardians have not completed a bachelor’s degree. In fall 2025, 27% of undergraduates enrolled at OU’s Norman campus fit this description.
OU is a part of the FirstGen Forward network as one of over 470 higher education institutions across the U.S. selected for their commitment to aiding first-generation students.
Outreach programs like Miracle Mindset serve first-generation and low-income high school students in Oklahoma, pairing students with advisers and aiding in early career preparation to help them get through college.
Angel Carbajal-Martinez, a first-generation management information systems junior and chair of OU’s Miracle Mindset, said he applied to OU after attending a Miracle Mindset conference in high school. Carbajal-Martinez said the conference gave him the confidence to feel ready for college.
“When I was a junior in high school, I actually attended one of the conferences, and it really put OU on the map for me, …” Carbajal-Martinez said. “This is a good university, but I can actually do this. I have the capability.”
Carbajal-Martinez said OU was the best choice for him because of the quality of education, his family and the campus community.
“I just felt like it was something I had to do for (the) sacrifices that my parents gave out for me, the legacy I wanted to leave for my future education. It was what was best for my education as well,” Carbajal-Martinez said. “People that I had met at the Miracle Mindset conference really felt like it would be home for me, and three years later, I really do feel like I made the right choice.”
Angel Carbajal-Martinez, a management information systems junior, is chair of OU’s Miracle Mindset, which serves first-generation and low-income high school students in Oklahoma.
For some first-generation students, struggles can stem from having no one to guide them through the uncertain aspects of college, like enrollment.
The college application process can be full of unknowns for many first-generation students.
“(At) my freshman orientation, they didn't really teach us how to enroll to our classes. They kind of just threw a computer at us. Told us, ‘Hey, enroll on this,’ and just expected us to know,” Carbajal-Martinez said.
Nathalia Mireles-Mota, a marketing and accounting junior, is a first-generation student at OU. Mireles-Mota said she struggled with imposter syndrome when she first arrived on campus.
“I didn't really know how to navigate some of the most important things that came with coming to college, whether that was dorm life, whether that was joining clubs across campus,” Mireles-Mota said. “I was thrust into the deep end, not really knowing what to do, and I had to figure out a lot of things for myself.”
Similar to Carbajal-Martinez, Mireles-Mota was first connected to OU at a Miracle Mindset conference and said, throughout her college experience, the organization has helped her get acclimated.
“Their whole mission was helping first-generation college students,” Mireles-Mota said. “I was able to gain a really quick support system on campus of people that were also going through similar things, and people that were dedicated to helping mitigate those challenges.”
Mireles-Mota said OU has been a supportive place, providing her with a community and new challenges.
“I feel that I've been pretty supported here. I feel that it's such a big community that you're able to find your spaces and find people that are going to support you in a lot of different directions, …” Mireles-Mota said. “OU overall has been supportive. It’s a really great place to not only find people that support you, but also to grow and to be challenged by new things and to continue learning.”
The community of students in Miracle Mindset is one of the reasons Mireles-Mota said she has felt so welcome.
“Everyone is extremely passionate about the work they're doing, and so it's really easy to make connections to other organizations, to resources on campus,” Mireles-Mota said. “Everyone has just been overall so supportive and so welcoming.”
Mireles-Mota said graduating from OU means more to her and her family than just getting the degree — it's about redefining her family’s story.
“It's going to be really impactful for me because being the first in my family to graduate from a higher institution of higher education in the United States symbolizes me adding a new tradition to the family,” Mireles-Mota said. “Just symbolizing change and growth and achievement whenever I didn't really have a guidebook or something to follow when I was going through this.”
This story was edited by Madisson Cameron and Anusha Fathepure. Lauren Brogdon and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
