Call for Essays First-in-the-Family Professors: Legacies, Narratives, and Impact
We invite contributions to an edited volume that explores the lives, legacies, and global impact of first-in-the-family professors—scholars who were the first in their families to attend college and who went on to transform higher education as teachers, mentors, and leaders. First-in-the-Family Professors: Legacies, Narratives, and Impact is an anthology that brings together personal narratives and scholarly reflections of professors across disciplines and continents who were the first in their families to earn a college degree and pursue academic careers. Building on two decades of scholarship and storytelling on first-generation students, this volume shifts the lens to higher education faculty—the educators, mentors, and leaders who have transformed barriers into opportunities and left lasting imprints on their communities and societies.
Through rich personal accounts, critical reflections, and comparative insights, contributors will illuminate how their first-in-family journeys shaped their identities as scholars and teachers, influenced their research and mentorship, and positioned them as advocates for equity and access in higher education. This multi-country, multi-institution project will highlight the global dimensions of first-generation legacies, underscoring the diverse yet interconnected experiences of faculty in the United States, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
This book will serve as an invaluable resource for educators, administrators, policymakers, and students by amplifying the legacies of first-generation professors and illustrating how personal histories can transform institutions and societies.
At the end of each chapter, concise takeaway sections highlight lessons learned, sources of self-motivation, sustaining visions, and the key values that guided each person’s journey. The collection also embraces a positive and reflective lens on failure—not as a setback, but as a powerful form of experiential learning. In doing so, the book invites readers to view discomfort, uncertainty, and challenge as essential components of the journey of becoming and belonging.
Suggested Chapters- From First-in-Family to Faculty: The Transformative Power of Education
- Crossing Thresholds: Early Struggles, First Breakthroughs
- Global Roots, Local Journeys: First-in-Family Professors in Comparative Context
- Becoming Professors: Identity, Class, and Cultural Capital in Higher Education
- Navigating Academic Spaces: Race, Gender, and Belonging
- Balancing Traditions: Family, Community, and Academic Life
- Mentorship as Legacy: Supporting First-Generation Students
- Research Agendas Shaped by First-Generation Identities
- Leading for Equity: First-in-Family Faculty in Administration and Policy
- First-in-Family Professors as Global Citizens: Transnational Narratives and Shared Futures
This project will be a hybrid of:
- Personal narratives: Each contributor will craft an essay (3,000–4,000 words) reflecting on their journey, drawing from autobiographical experiences.
- Structured interviews: Contributors may also respond to a shared set of guiding interview questions (see below), creating a comparative framework across chapters.
- Cross-disciplinary, multi-country perspectives: Professors from the humanities, social sciences, STEM fields, professional fields, and community colleges/universities worldwide will be represented.
Contributors may choose to write freely or respond directly to these questions:
- Family Origins: What was your family background, childhood environment, or community context when you were growing up?
- Early Aspirations: How did your family or community view education when you were young?
- Turning Points: Where did you attend school, and what early experiences shaped your aspirations for higher education?
- First Breakthroughs: What was your experience as the first in your family to attend college or university?
- Mentorship: Who were the key mentors, teachers, or family members who shaped your academic and personal journey?
- Path to Academia: What inspired you to pursue an advanced degree and ultimately become a professor?
- Identity and Transformation: How has being first-in-family shaped your worldview, academic identity, and understanding of society?
- Teaching and Research: How has your first-in-family identity influenced your teaching philosophy, research focus, or leadership in higher education?
- Legacy and Impact: What do you see as your legacy within your family, your institution, and the wider community?
- Advice and Vision: What message or encouragement would you offer to students or young scholars who are the first in their families to pursue higher education?
- Authors/Professors: Submit one chapter (2,000–4,000 words) by the agreed deadline, using either personal narrative, interview responses, or a hybrid.
- Coherence: Engage with the themes of identity, resilience, mentorship, and legacy.
- Global Scope: Highlight unique cultural and institutional contexts while connecting to broader themes relevant to first-generation students.
- Engagement: Participate in a virtual symposium where draft chapters will be shared, discussed, and refined collaboratively.
This volume will be the first of its kind to center the lived experiences of professors who are first-in-family graduates. It extends scholarship from the student-focused lens toward understanding faculty legacies, thereby contributing to the fields of higher education studies, sociology of education, and comparative international education. By combining autobiographical narratives with academic reflection, the book provides a model of scholarly storytelling that is rigorous, deeply personal, and transformative.
Timeline for Co-Authors and Co-Editors
All contributors are expected to follow the project timeline below:
- March 15 - Abstract /concepts due
- April 15 – Contributors confirmed; first editorial meeting
- April-June – Writing period; monthly editorial meetings
- July 1 – Draft chapters due
- Aug 1– Revised chapters due; proofreading and copyediting
- Oct 15 – Final manuscript submission to publisher
Please ensure your submission follows APA 7th Edition guidelines for citations, references, headings, and formatting to maintain consistency across all chapters.
Submit your abstract/chapter here
Books in the series: First in the Family
Editorial Fellows: Michelle Jackson | Benita Threadgill | Kalika White
Editors: Krishna Bista |Anastasia Christou
About the Editors:
Professor Anastasia Christou
Professor of Sociology and Social Justice, Middlesex University, London
a.christou@mdx.ac.uk | ORCID: 0000-0002-8796-1191
Professor Anastasia Christou is a critical interdisciplinary scholar whose work bridges the humanities and social sciences to advance social justice and public sociology. Based at Middlesex University, London, she serves as Professor of Sociology and Social Justice in the Department of Law and Social Sciences. Her research spans migration and mobilities, citizenship, identity, intersectionality, gender and feminism, inequalities, and belonging, with extensive ethnographic work conducted across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Anastasia is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a feminist, anti-racist, and academic activist committed to decolonial and inclusive pedagogies. Her publications include books with major university presses and numerous articles in international journals. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of GeoHumanities (American Association of Geographers) and the Journal of Further and Higher Education. Beyond academia, she actively engages with NGOs such as Cara (the Council for At-Risk Academics) and co-founded the Free University Brighton to promote accessible community learning.
Professor Krishna Bista
Professor of Higher Education, Community College Leadership Program
Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership and Policy, Morgan State University, USA
krishna.bista@morgan.edu | ORCID:0000-0001-7893-8275
Professor Bista is an award-winning author and Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership and Policy at Morgan State University, Maryland, USA. An internationally recognized scholar in global student mobility, international education, technology in higher education, and educational statistics, he teaches doctoral courses and supervises dissertation research.
A two-time Fulbright Specialist to Australia and Greece, Dr. Bista has published more than 100 scholarly papers, essays, book chapters, and edited volumes on topics such as internationalization, doctoral student experiences, and technology in higher education. He is the Founding Series Editor of the Routledge Global Student Mobility Series. Dr. Bista has co-edited more than 30 books with major publishers, including Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan, Springer, and STAR Scholars Press. He previously served as Director of Global Education and Chase Endowed Professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. A dedicated educator, mentor, and global leader, Dr. Bista’s work champions equity, innovation, and inclusion in higher education. His recent books include Advancing Global Competencies in Education (Routledge, 2025) and Global Pathways: Insights on Studying, Working, and Thriving Abroad (AAC&U & STAR Scholars, 2025).
