OpEd: 'To be a first-generation, low-income student at an Ivy League school is to stick out like a sore thumb on a freshly manicured hand, probably boasting Cartier or Rolex.'
received scholarships or grants to help cover this cost, but it often feels like many of my peers can’t begin to understand where students like me come from.
I pretended to understand when my new friends talked about old debutante traditions and red carpet experiences, nodding along at any sign of extreme wealth with hopes that doing so would preclude questions about my financial status. It did not. It quickly became clear that I didn’t come from the same world. No, I would not be able to join you on a family vacation to your holiday home in Capri; paying for even a fraction of the trip was off the table.