Before arriving at Williams, I heard unpleasant stories regarding legacy students and their obliviousness to several social issues and their own privilege. As a first-generation and low-income student, I was thus terrified that attending a prestigious college would mean constantly being in the presence of an oblivious body of people. Now that I am here and have met some legacies, however, I recognize that several of them do not fit this “unpleasant” legacy stereotype. It is important that the College creates more opportunities for students of vastly different backgrounds to interact so as to facilitate the sharing of vital resources.
The stigma of legacy kids being boastful, obnoxious, and inconsiderate at the College is, to my mind, just a stigma. It is a bit like generalizing that all first-generation students are of lower income, which is also not true. It is perhaps natural for first-generation students to come to college wary of their legacy peers, but it does not justify ongoing criticism of legacy students. Likewise, legacy students should not feed into social hierarchies and make first-generation students feel unwelcome. We categorize ourselves in such a way that makes us seem like a different species. As a result, both groups become close-minded, leading to the heavy weight of ignorance and inconsideration that has no present end as of today. Thus, it would take some effort between both groups to dispose of this ignorance over time.
On the other hand, there can be a tendency among some students to look down on first-generation college students in terms of their capabilities, as they do not come from privileged backgrounds or have prior knowledge of the college experience. Legacy kids have a privilege that first-generation college students do not: the privilege of having an accessible entrance to higher education along with the tools required to succeed. But it is not that these students should not have these means to succeed, but that they must share their tools and resources for success with the rest of their class. For example, the time to apply for some summer internships is in the early fall, and most first-generation students, especially first-years, do not have the knowledge of this and are thus already behind. By simply being conscious of these dynamics and interacting with first-generation students, a legacy student can help provide opportunities. For instance, when someone has a friend and knows about an internship or other career opportunity, they most likely would tell their friend about it. However, with the lack of communication between first-generation students and legacy students, these moments of assistance do not occur.
Personally, I have met legacy students at the College without realizing they were legacies due to our normal, equitable interactions. Now, I try to fight negative stereotypes of legacy students because, after years of such perceptions being instilled in me, they have become like a mental reflex. As a result, I suggest that all students who spend time at the College and, consciously or unconsciously, feed into these stigmas take some time to acknowledge them and instead begin to recognize people as individuals they interact with instead of entire groups and identities.
Both student groups should not be afraid to interact and build relationships with one another. Furthermore, it seems that legacy students feel some sort of guilt about being a legacy, which adds fuel to the “do not interact with first-generation students” fire. My friend and fellow first-generation student Harry Ferreira ’27 once said to me, “They should not feel guilty that they are here, but they should have some self-awareness and consciousness of the space they take up and how they interact with low-income and first-generation students.” One way for legacy and other non-first-generation students to be self-aware is to acknowledge first-generation students and recognize their own relative privilege.
Overall, there are several ways the College can encourage relationships between first-generation and legacy students. I have had many conversations with other first-year Firsts (first-generation students) about how students outside the Firsts community did not even know about the Firsts Pre-Orientation program or the Windows on Williams (WOW) program, which are designed to help first-generation students. If the College were to simply acknowledge and market these programs at a higher level, legacy students could recognize that these programs are important to first-generation students and could possibly help build upon these programs. For instance, they could host incoming first-year students with the WOW program or become a Pre-Orientation Leader to learn about the college experience from the perspective of a first-generation student. Also, the College can promote Firsts and legacy events such as dinners, discussions, and panels to foster relationships between students with different access to higher education.
In conclusion, the lack of interactions between Firsts and legacies is one that can change in the future. By disregarding stereotypes, both student groups can build new relationships and gain more equal opportunities in the College. With the College’s help, these relationships can occur in a faster and more accessible way.
Luis Leon Zambada ’27 is from Los Angeles, Calif.
