Confronting cultural issues can impact both family and student epistemology. L. Steven Zwerling writes about the struggle of individualism and new identity within majors and how they impact family, class, and race in his article, "First Generation Students: Confronting the Cultural Issues".

Going to college had some surprises, college is, after all, a rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood...education decisions can be mediated by family dynamics. Students (including older students) sometimes find a psychological resonance between their quest for individuation and autonomy and their choice of a major or career...A student receive pleasure from majoring in a subject that is remote from his or her parent's imagination. This quest for autonomy can take student further from the family, class, racial, or ethnic orbit than anyone had bargained for. Family forces, of course, are not the only propelling ones; intellectual fulfillment, career preparation, social standing, and financial ambition are part of what is often an ever-shifting hierarchy of motives regarding, educational decision and social mobility.

    First generation students feel a sense of change and along with these revelations the joys of these changes. We found that gender also played a role when students discovered their individualism and the women, at first, seemed to be challenged by their cultures and communities where the men felt a sense of inner power. Pedro Gonzalez clearly expresses how his strengths from academia have opened his eyes and made him proud of who he is and where he came from. One of the obstacles first generation college students face is the process of navigating through an educational system that historically devalues the experience and culture of students of color. This can become enforced through many ways of racism, such as the tracking system. This devaluation of previous knowledge and life experience pushes students into an assimilation model in order to succeed in higher education. Solórzano and Villapando state, "However while these students may not have been pushed out of higher education like other students, the assumption that they succeed largely because of their ability to conform to the dominant cultural norms of a college environment ignores much of their current and historical experiences in higher education." Throughout childhood and adolescence, many of the interviewees felt no need to pursue a higher education and if they did they wanted to go to vocational schools or community colleges. They felt connected with these types of schools because they were never challenged or taught to explore a four-year university. The following is an example of how Pedro Gonzalez describes his manner of dealing with his marginalized status. When asked, "How do you feel about your family and culture now?", he stated:

I think I feel a lot stronger about my family and my culture. I am a very proud Mexicano. I am too proud. There are times when I am with another Mexicano or Mexicana and they will say " Mexico" the English way I get kind of upset. And I correct them. Maybe that is a little too much. You have seen my car I have the Aztec calendar in the back seat to top it off I have had the chance to become a citizen but I haven't. Because the stuff I have learned here at the university the way history went. I don't think I want to be a part of the United States, just because of the different stuff that happened. It's not a racist thing; it's a personal thing. You know me,you know that I am not that type of person, I am not gonna do discriminate a person because of their color or race. But I just don't want to become a citizen. I am aware that Mexico has a dual citizenship policy. I can if I want. Even with that in mind, I don't want to be a part of it. I know that I loose a lot of rights by not becoming a citizen. I want to be the best I can be without becoming a citizen. Without getting that extra help. To demonstrate that us Mexicanos even if we aren't citizens are gonna make it. How often do you see a Mexicano running that department? All you have to do is want it. That's the way I look at it. My family has always been a big role in my life, that would be the only thing I would leave my education for my family and my friends because I value my friends a lot too. That is the only reason I would leave education. I got an offer to leave to go work for my old supervisor in Arizona, he was gonna pay me $45,000 a year. He asked me and I said I wish I could but I have to finish my education. Culture, family, I think I have a greater respect now that I have been at this university and have learned a lot about history. I t has helped me grow the way I feel about my people and my culture.

    Furthermore Solórzano and Villapando state, "Moreover, some students of color might voluntarily choose to situate themselves at 'the margins' as a site of resistance in order to transform the system".

    Some may contend that students of color may be adversely affected by choosing to place themselves at the margins. Their unwillingness to conform to the dominant societal norms and their insistence on adopting an opposition model is seen by some as too detrimental to their academic progression. Solorzano and Villapando state, "In contrast, college impact research relying on quantitative methods has consistently found that public opposition behavior has a positive effect on a range of affective and cognitive outcomes for college students" (Astin, Astin, Bayer, and Bisconti, 1975; Hurtado, 1990; Pascrella and Terenzini, 1991). Pedro Gonzalez clearly shows how strong he feels even though our system can keep his "people" oppressed. College has made him proud of who he is and who he will become. His future seems attainable as Gonzalez discusses his academic status: "So far I can say that I have a 3.0 plus GPA overall and I am pretty proud of it."