The importance of being first

To the high school senior
who is the first in the family
to consider college,

No one in your family has ever gone to college. It may be that no one in your neighborhood has ever gone to college. And you know that the best chance you have to succeed will come if you can be the "first one'' – the first one in your family to get the grades, the scores, the money – and the courage – to get a degree.

All of us, men and women in interesting, rewarding jobs that help us make a difference every day, were "first ones'' too.

Was it easy? Not at all. And it is harder today. Pell Grants are imperiled, families struggle to pay the grocery bills – never mind a college tuition – and the specter of a lifetime of debts can be daunting. You think, can I do this? Is it worth it?

First, the easy question: Yes, it is worth it. Higher education is worth it for the thrill of learning alone. Still, we know that it will be hard to convince parents who never went to college, and are stunned by tuition numbers, that college is the route for you. Despite the soaring costs, college is a bargain. Consider: Over a lifetime, the gap in earnings between those who have only graduated from high school and those with a bachelor's degree or higher exceeds $1 million. On average, college graduates make $22,000 more per year than those with just a high school degree.

Even for students with supportive parents, and the tenacity and determination to take on higher education, cost is a seemingly insurmountable barrier. Every year, hundreds of thousands of high school students simply give up when faced with tuitions that dwarf their family household income.

But there is help. In Boston, the ACCESS program helps 10,000 students a year find the means to go to college. ACCESS is free, and it assists you in getting financial aid and grants, identifying scholarships, avoiding the pitfalls of debt and most important, getting the resources to stay in school and graduate.

For many students whose parents never went to college, getting in and finding the money may not even be the hardest part. Low income minority students drop out of college in the first year at a rate four times that of other students. Other problems are hard to quantify, but loneliness, a feeling that you do not belong and a longing to be back where people sound, look and talk like you are all common to "first ones.''

But give it time. Ask for help. We are all here to say not only can it be done, but that it is worth doing.

William “Mo” Cowan is chief of staff for Governor Deval Patrick. He is a graduate of Duke University and Northeastern University School of Law.

Susanne Cameron is state director of community development at Citi. She is a graduate of Central Connecticut University, B.A.; Tufts University, MPP, Urban Policy.

Neal F. Finnegan is former chairman of Citizens Bank. He is a graduate of Northeastern University; Babson College (M.B.A.) .

Tiffany Cooper Gueye, Ph.D is chief executive officer of BELL. She is a graduate of Boston College, with a B.A. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation

Rev. Paul Melendez, Ph.D, L.I.C.S.W., is an Episcopalian deacon; and professor and director of the MSW Program at Simmons College. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona; with graduate degrees from both Boston University and Case Western Reserve University.

Leonard Schlesinger is president of Babson College. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School (Doctor of Business Administration); Columbia University (MBA); and Brown University (Bachelor of Arts in American Civilization).