Family and community have been one of the most motivational factors for the students to continue their education. However, family can also be a factor that keeps students from continuing their higher education because a student's parents are afraid of their son or daughter going far away from home. In other cases parents are concerned about financing their child's education; they want a higher education for their children, but they are fear they can not afford it.

    In "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education" bell hooks states, " Like many working-class folks, they feared what college education might do to their children's minds even as they unenthusiastically acknowledged its importance."

    hooks is asserting that parents are afraid of what their children are going to learn in college away from home. They are afraid of the change that can come about from having the education and some want to keep them in a safe zone. One interviewee states,

For like coming to college and stuff, I would have to say, like my brother . . . cause I mean he graduated from here and stuff, and I just like when I was going to high school, I just seen him how he was going to school and everything and how he just. And how he just, how can I say that he's just like been going up and up, you know, just been getting better in everything he's opening more doors for him, so you know. I just thought that if he could do it, why cant I, if I try and just I guess having to pass through everything that I've been through like working in the fields and stuff, that just made me react totally different towards school know. (Yolanda X.)

    Students have also shown how their ways of thinking about family and community have changed through the process of taking classes here at CSUMB, and by living far away from home. They mentioned how it has brought them closer to their family and their community and how they are more aware of their cultural history. In an interview a student mentioned the following:

Well about my family and culture, I think I fell a lot more closure I think I feel I have more closure like I think I appreciate it more how they came, where they came from and you know what they had to do to come over here and have to work, work and raise a family here without any resources and stuff. I kind of appreciate more their work. My community, uhm, well, I come from the east side, so I know there's a lot more people that can go to college not just myself and that a bum and stuff. (Vargas)

    Family members and community have had a big impact in some of these students' education. Some of these students are first-generation college students, but are not the first ones in their family to come to college; they are also getting the support from an older sibling. They have grown up inspired by an older role model. Then there are other students who are the first ones to go to college, leave home, and get a higher education. They see how their family has struggled to come to this country or survive racism in this country and that is what helps these students and inspires them to continue on with their education.