Kaliisha Cole
When Kaliisha was a freshman in high school, her mom took her to see UMass Lowell for the first time. There was no question whether she would attend college. Out of the 10 schools she applied to, she knew UMass Lowell was the one because she felt like she belonged here.
“I fell in love with it. I wanted college to be a part of my story and I was going to make sure I worked as hard as I could to get there.” Kaliisha sees being a first-generation college student as an advantage. The experience itself has taught her how to be independent and has motivated her to have her presence known around campus. She joined the school’s newspaper, The Connector, a couple of weeks into her first semester. She has also met a lot of great people who are also a part of RHSA. “I will walk around campus and people will know who I am and I feel like it is the greatest reward for my hard work because I have met so many individuals who have a similar experience to mine.” Family has always been important to Kaliisha. Her family members are her biggest supporters. She also has a 17-year old sister who she is really close with. |
“It can get lonely when my friends are not around, but I know my family will be there to fill it. It also helps that I am not far from home either. It is really nice to hear how proud they are of me when I have accomplished something. I am very thankful for how my mom and nana have helped me with this whole process even though neither of them has attended college.”
Living on campus has been a great experience for Kaliisha because of the friends she has made. She says it feels like a second home for her
.
“I do not think I would have as great of an experience as I have had because besides my family, my friends have supported me because most of them are also first-generation students in the RHSA and we are all navigating together.”
Kaliisha is studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She considered being a high school English teacher, but overtime, realized that this was not the right path for her. She discovered that she wanted to work as an agent for a publishing company in order to support authors.
“I absolutely love to read. I even have a Bookstagram page which is where I promote books for authors and/or publishers. I have done it for three years already and have had access to advance reader copies and have learned so much from it. No other major would give me an experience like English has.”
Living on campus has been a great experience for Kaliisha because of the friends she has made. She says it feels like a second home for her
.
“I do not think I would have as great of an experience as I have had because besides my family, my friends have supported me because most of them are also first-generation students in the RHSA and we are all navigating together.”
Kaliisha is studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She considered being a high school English teacher, but overtime, realized that this was not the right path for her. She discovered that she wanted to work as an agent for a publishing company in order to support authors.
“I absolutely love to read. I even have a Bookstagram page which is where I promote books for authors and/or publishers. I have done it for three years already and have had access to advance reader copies and have learned so much from it. No other major would give me an experience like English has.”