Kathrin from Germany

“My parents couldn’t help me with my assignments at university,” Kathrin Biegner remembers. University life was foreign to her parents because they never took part in higher education. While Kathrin’s fellow students from college-educated families could turn to their parents with certain questions about their studies, she had to manage by herself. Gradually she realized that many first-generation college students face similar obstacles. She discovered that even first-generation students with top grades in high school were unsure how to deal with the academic and financial challenges of college life. So while majoring in American studies and journalism, Kathrin got involved with ArbeiterKind.de, an organization dedicated to supporting and advising dropouts and prospective college students whose families didn’t attend college. Kathrin believes ArbeiterKind.de makes a real contribution to equal opportunity in education.