Between Two Worlds: Navigating Tradition vs. Transition as a First-Generation College Student at a Private HBCU

At Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), first-generation college students often find themselves standing at a complicated intersection—where Black excellence, class identity, familial sacrifice, and institutional legacy converge. These are not just campuses but curated spaces, deeply symbolic sites, where heritage and hope meet, where belonging is promised but not always felt. Though HBCUs were founded as spaces of radical Black uplift, their contemporary landscapes are increasingly shaped by social class, legacy admissions, and cultural capital, often sidelining the unique trajectories of those who arrive without a roadmap. This work explores the lived experiences of first-generation students at private HBCUs through the lens of double consciousness, the enduring Du Boisian framework that interrogates what it means to see oneself through the eyes of others while trying to remain whole. While introducing the concept of triple consciousness through the lens of intersectionality, building upon the foundational work of contemporary scholars. How does a student reconcile the pride of being "first" with the weight of invisibility in an environment that unintentionally centers those who have long had access? What does it mean to pursue social mobility while trying not to feel like you're betraying your roots? Drawing from interviews with 10 first-generation students this research surfaces the tension between cultural affirmation and classed performance. It asks whether HBCUs, for all their beauty and Black brilliance, may still replicate hierarchies that leave some students performing proximity to privilege rather than fully belonging. This thesis argues that for first-gen students, the HBCU experience can become both a sanctuary and a site of social contradiction—a place where love and lack coexist, and where the internal negotiations of double consciousness are as present as ever.