From an early age, Naomi Flores recognized the importance and the value of a college education. She knew that earning a degree would open doors to a meaningful career, provide her with a steady income and prevent her from experiencing poverty the way her parents had. 

The West Ottawa High School graduate is now one step closer to meeting the expectations she set for herself all those years ago. The first-generation college student is pursuing a nursing degree at Davenport University, and she’s not doing it just for herself, but for her entire family. 

Flores’s mother had a tough childhood and grew up in poverty. Her father was incarcerated for the majority of her life, and parental support was lacking. Her mother met her father when she was young and had Flores at seventeen. She aspired to be a nurse, but after one year of college, she dropped out because the demands of work and raising a child left little time for classes. 

Flores’s father also grew up in a low-income household and made a series of poor decisions in his youth, primarily because he lacked parental guidance. He ultimately dropped out of high school, but earned his GED later in life. 

Flores is grateful to her parents for overcoming the obstacles that stood in the way of giving their own children the lives they deserved, and to her step-parents for their support. “My mother has come so far, and I’m thankful that she was able to push through her own upbringing to give me a good life,” Flores said. “As far as my dad, he gave me a life far removed from what he had. He supports me unconditionally and tells me that I changed his life.”

Her interest in nursing first started to blossom when she was a junior in high school visiting her great-grandmother in the hospital. She was impressed by the nurses and how they cared for her great-grandmother, and she could see herself offering that same comfort to others. “I couldn’t help but notice how empathetic the really great nurses were and how they went out of their way to make sure she was comfortable. It made me want to be that support for others in my community,” she said.

During that time, she also completed emergency medical technician (EMT) training, which strengthened her desire to go into the medical field.  Flores looks forward to specializing in women’s healthcare and hopes to one day be a nurse midwife or labor and delivery nurse. 

What drew Flores to Davenport was its direct-admit nursing program and small class sizes. “The direct-admit program was a big draw, and I felt I could learn more effectively by getting to know my professors in a more intimate setting instead of sitting in a lecture hall with one hundred other students,” she said. 

Just months into her Davenport experience, she has already encountered professors and staff who have made a positive impression. “I appreciate how friendly and helpful everyone is at Davenport. You can tell that they all genuinely want each student to succeed,” she said. 

While her main reason for going to college is financial freedom, her love of learning is also a major motivator. “I think knowledge is power, and it is important for me as a Mexican woman to have an education. “Earning my diploma will mean I have pushed through the hard times and pushed myself farther than ever before,” she said. 

She also hopes her pursuit of a better future for herself will rub off on her six younger siblings. “Earning a degree will show my siblings that they can do it too. They bring me so much joy and I’m motivated to be the best role model for them,” she said. 

Being apart from her family, making new friends and learning to navigate college life are some of the challenges she’s faced during her journey to earning a degree. “While it hasn’t been easy, I’ve learned it’s beneficial to push myself out of my comfort zone because I will gain more by trying and failing than by not trying at all,” she said. 

Flores said Davenport’s First Generation Program has helped her feel like she is not alone. “For me, that is a really big aspect of being at Davenport because college is scary and different, but being seen makes me feel like I belong,” she said. 

She is also involved with Davenport’s First-Gen Peer Mentor program and finds it comforting to know she can go to her mentor with questions. “My experience with the Peer Mentoring Program has been great so far! It relieves a lot of stress knowing I have someone to turn to, someone who has been in my shoes.” 

“From the beginning of their academic careers at orientations, to celebrating their success at commencement, Davenport University is making a significant impact on a first-gen’s experience in higher education,” said Jodi Hicks, Davenport’s director of student transitions and first- gen champion. “We are proud that we can support these students for their sake, and for the sake of their family and friends. I’m proud that Davenport makes a strategic and concerted effort to support first-gen students like Naomi.”

Davenport offers the following opportunities to its first-gen students:

• One-on-one peer mentoring
• Group mentoring
• GroupMe discussions
• Tri Alpha Honor Society 
• In-person academic mentoring in math and English at the W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus
• Academic mentoring embedded in 6 math classes and 2 accounting classes
• Speakers

Finding ways to fund her education has been an ongoing worry for Flores, but making it a top priority has paid off. She has been able to pay off her first and second semesters of college out- of-pocket without taking out large loans by working as many hours as she can and researching and applying for scholarships. “It can be discouraging not to win every scholarship, and it can be stressful to balance work and school, but it is also important to keep going, celebrate the little wins and find something to be grateful for each day.”

Flores said that having loving, supportive parents whose experiences growing up in low-income households shaped her view of finances and what she envisions for her own life. “My parents have had to work extremely hard their entire lives to break free from their past, and that has always pushed me to be the very best that I can be. Finishing college will help validate their sacrifices and will be my way of thanking them for pushing me to succeed. It will also show them that their hardships weren’t for nothing.”