How do students change once they have been placed in a totally different atmosphere than the one back home? Many students go back to their families and see differences which they want to point out, so as to educate them in a way that they will also be aware as they have been made aware of the situations in real life. For instance Maria Lupe went home and pointed out some of the racist undertones in commercials, and was questioned by her sister:

I think that um, my ideas have changed in the way that I see things that I didn't see before like when I am looking at the TV and I'm looking at buying things and I know that those effect the kids or racial things that are said on TV. And I say something in my house and they are like, "Why are you acting like that?" Like my little sister used to tell me when I go home, she'd say, "Lupe, I don't know what's happening to you. You're like Lupe but you're not Lupe." "What do you mean by that mija?" And she said "I don't know how to say it but it's like, I don't know, you have like two personalities sometimes. (Ln 233-239)

     In "Transformations: Cultural Challenges Faced by First-Generation Students" Howard B. London mentions the following, "College changes all students, whether first generation or not. Sophisticated and useful surveys have documented changes in student's psychological and ethical development, attitudes and beliefs of one kind or another, ability to think abstractly and critically, and so on." (10) Lupe showed this characteristic when she was being questioned by her sister at home. She was thinking critically and abstractly, like London had stated, about what she had seen on television and how she wanted to educate her sister on the analysis she had made. The sister wasn't very receptive to this type of analysis. Her sister just wanted to let it be.

    Another interviewee also had discovered some sort of disconnection from his home community. Cesar had gone back home and wanted to share some experiences with his high school comrades, but one was not receptive to this idea. His friend didn't want to hear any of his stories. Cesar felt like he had just been told to keep his 'big head' from exploding. Cesar didn't think he was 'big headed' but his friend wanted no part in hearing his life experiences. He said it was mainly because his friend probably felt jealous that he couldn't attend college, because he was forced to work right out of high school.

    Cesar might not think he is disconnected from his community but some members of his home community think he his. He has fallen through the cracks of Richard Rodriguez's "The Achievement of Desire" without even wanting to. He has been labeled already by his own community. Rodriguez thought that the best way to be successful was to assimilate into the mainstream culture, and that is what he did. Some don't want to follow that path; they want to keep their heritage and learn another as well, but is this possible? Cesar's "innocent mobility", as London states, is the "belief that mobility is unproblematic, students are often unaware, at least initially, of its potential costs in personal and social dislocation. It soon becomes apparent, however, that old relations are changing and that new ones must be forged. It is only when we see that negotiating cultural obstacles involves not just gain but loss---most of all the loss of a familiar past, including a past self---that we can begin to understand the attendant periods of confusion, conflict, isolation, and even anguish reported by first-generation students." (10) Of course Cesar is going to feel mad because a friend rejected his stories about college, but what can he do? He has seen new things, read new ideas, has changed his mind about what the world around him entails, and he goes back to the place where he and his friends didn't learn any of these new ideologies. The only way people will truly understand his point of view is when both or all have came from the same community and know what each other is talking about or have experienced a similar situation for themselves. Cesar's friend has to come to this new university community and experience it in order to appreciate it.

    For example Sandra Chavarin was in her Sevice Learning 200 class where students were asked to share stories of racism of any type in small groups, then later commence to share with the whole class. Sandra said it felt good to share these types of stories, because everyone in the class was willing to hear what you had to say. This made Sandra feel more comfortable in that class because of the trusting environment that had been built.

    Not all of the atmospheres that had been envisioned for CSUMB were upheld as service learning was. Carlos brought up the point that last year there was no blunt racism but a sort of agitation towards the firing or forcible removal of people of color from high positions in CSUMB administration. (This all started when two Chicano administrators were 'relocated' to a new position or had resigned, because of the pressures of the president and the provost) This caused a big commotion, and eventually led to the resignation of a high profile administrator.

    Though this was not called a racist move by the administration, there was one incident that Cesar shared which was. One day he was running among the student apartments when he was yelled at by a passing vehicle containing three Caucasian males who blurted racist comments towards him as well as threats. Cesar did not report this incident, maybe because he thought there would be nothing that can be done about this type of behavior. Nonetheless "it is noteworthy that students rarely challenge the racism of the society at large" (Weis 26). He was scared to retaliate at that moment because the people might have gotten out of their car and beat him. He was alone and no one was around so he just stood still.

    How do we as a community stop this type of racist behavior on our campus? Racism is everywhere even on a campus that dictates multiculturalism and diversity. How do we stop our own home communities to accept our new ways of thinking? How do we make our friends understand our new ways of thinking? Damian's mom has been taking a few classes at the local junior college lately and he can see the difference in her way of thinking already. His dad and her have discussions about what she has learned, where he mostly nods his head and keeps his old ways. How has his dad's attitudes toward Damian's mother being educated started changing? Lately, Damian's mother has taken his dad to classes on family and child management that are offered through the local elementary schools and church. He dad has changed a little, but Damian can notice his mother's point of view more. He knows his dad doesn't like his mom telling him what to think and how to act - he knows because he sees his dad's reaction to this. Damian's mother is going through this 'cultural change' that most first generation students are going through; the wealth of information is not to be held in but to be spread. She is trying to spread this wealth to his dad, although sometimes he isn't too receptive to the idea. Damian's mother sees him everyday so little by little she is educating him through her own education.
We think that is the only way re-connect with the home community is to give the information little by little so that we can help our community strengthen itself. If we had service learning classes that were structured to help hopeful first generation students attend college and help their parents with the emotional transition that would be a great start. This class would go out into the local high schools and would be targeted at juniors, so they can have almost a year to complete everything they need in order to attend college. CSUMB ervice learning students would give presentations on how to fill out applications on financial aid, scholarships and any other applications that they might need help in. Most importantly, they would invite the parents to participate in a long question and answer session and comment on how they feel about their children going off to college.