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Tylea is a graduate student at the University of Central Florida. Scholars can reach out to Tylea by emailing tylea.hernandez@knights.ucf.edu.

What did you like best about the ǧÃŬAV McNair program?

The aspect of the ǧÃŬAV McNair program that I most appreciated was the close connection between myself and my faculty mentor.  As a first-generation minority student, I really had no idea what it would take to get to graduate school.

My faculty mentor helped me to understand the path I needed to take to reach my goals and acknowledged what difficulties I would face. They pushed me to accomplish so much, which lead me to realize that I had the potential to face these challenges and succeed at the graduate level. This, paired with the one-on-one guidance with McNair staff, is what I truly attribute my acceptance into a graduate program to. 

What do you wish you knew before you started grad school?

Before starting graduate school, I wish I had known how much of the learning would be completed on my own before class discussion/application. Not all of my classes are structured this way, but it would have been helpful to have practiced better skills in reading and annotating textbooks in a way that is efficient

What difficulties have you faced in Grad school?

Grad school has been a rewarding experience so far, but I have had difficulties in finding support for first-generation students like myself. Additionally, as encouraging as my family is, I have found it difficult to communicate with them the struggles I am facing while navigating this experience that is new to me and them, especially now that I am so far from home.