“Building community increases social capital by creating trust, connections, and opportunities.”

Vision Board Party 2019

Editor’s note: A First Generation Professional (FGP) is the “first” in their immediate family to earn a 4-year college degree and/or obtain a higher level professional position than what was held by either parent.

How important is it for you to develop your own community of friends and professionals who can support you in your academic, career and personal endeavors? In this month’s blog, I’d like to talk to you about how you can build the kind of network that is essential to your success.

Because the concept of being a first generation professional is still relatively new, there has not been a lot of research done on this population.

So, many of the challenges and barriers I reference in this blog/vlog as being part of the first generation professional’s experience comes from previous research that was originally based on the experiences of first generation college students.

Studies show that one key barrier for first generation college students is that they do not have the same social capital as their “traditional student” counterparts. First gen college students often do not have a network of support that is built into their lives. And because of this, they often find it difficult to easily navigate their college experience. In many cases these students don’t have the role models in their lives to show them a pathway to a successful academic career.

These challenges are very similar to what first generation professionals encounter in the workplace. For example, navigating a career pathway that no one in their family or social network has ever followed, so they have to figure out how to do this on their own.

Some first gen professionals may not know where to start in building their community. With the MorenoMethod, I emphasize the importance of building community and provide a guide to help you seek the types of people who you want in your life to help you build your social capital.

Finding these people requires effort and the utilization of other skills like effective interpersonal communication to cultivate and develop relationships. You also need resourcefulness to become aware of groups, organizations and community-based programs that support your own personal values and professional aspirations.

Are you ready to expand your community? Do you want to learn more? Then join me for my free virtual workshop on building community. You can sign up on my website at elynarmoreno.com.

Be well,