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In What is a Graduate Student: Learning the Higher Ed Hidden Curriculum on the Fly, LT and Sam welcome special guest Dr. Tracy Buenavista—professor of Asian American Studies at Cal State Northridge and the very person who first named LT’s first-gen identity—to unpack what it really means to navigate grad school as a first-gen student. From late-night “mentoring on the run” to underfunded programs and hidden rules no one explains, LT and Tracy swap stories about how they stumbled into graduate school, survived its financial landmines, and built pathways to lift up the next generation through the UCLA McNair Program and beyond. They dig into the cornerstones of real first-gen grad student support, the importance of expanding what kinds of fields students dream about, and what keeps them fighting for access—especially in today’s climate of attacks on DREAMers and shrinking support programs. Plus, they time-travel back to the songs and albums that defined their own grad school days.

Perfect for current and aspiring graduate students, first-gen professionals, educators, and anyone curious about higher ed’s unspoken rules, this episode blends real talk with practical insights—and will leave you inspired to fight for access and equity.

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In Episode Four—aka The English Major Episode—LT and Sam welcome self-proclaimed “Honorary Smart Girl,” Phuc Tran, author of Sigh, Gone and Cranky, for a pop culture deep dive Gen X style. Together, LT and Phuc compare notes on how sneakers, Doc Martens, punk, hip hop, Prince, Star Wars, and more shaped their very different coming-of-age journeys as first-gen kids: Phuc as an immigrant Vietnamese boy in small-town Pennsylvania, LT as a Black girl navigating the Washington, D.C. area. They unpack the icons that shaped them, the music that moved them, and how writing memoirs rewired what it means to “be smart” and first-gen.

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What does it mean to be Black and first-gen? In this heartfelt and freewheeling episode, LT is joined by her former student—and now lifelong friend—Hon. George A. Turner, Jr. for a deeply personal conversation on style, selfhood, and staying grounded. From their UCLA days to their current careers in leadership, Sam asks LT and George to reflect on how their Black first-gen identities shaped everything from their professional paths to their fashion sense to their enduring love of Jay-Z.

The episode explores the nuances of Black first-gen college experiences—how they resonate with and diverge from other first-gen stories, and how community, culture, and pop references (yes, even The Godfather) plays a role in survival and self-discovery.

Tune in to hear:

• How George and LT forged a lasting bond at UCLA and beyond
• What it means to lead with style as a first-gen Black professional
• The joys and complexities of finding community with other Black students
• And, of course, the songs that takes them both back to those early UCLA days