Abstract
Community colleges have become the dominant educational drive for minorities pursing a better quality of life for self and family. First-generation minority students face many challenges that hinder them from obtaining a college degree or transferring to a four-year university. This study explored specific contributing factors that affect the degree completions and transfer rate of first-generation Latino and first-generation Pacific Islander students at Sacramento City College. The goal of this study is to inform college faculty, administrators, student service programs, and all programs whom directly affect the academic success of these students. After interviewing ten participants, three prominent themes emerged: 1) lack of family involvement and support, 2) financial barriers, and 3) campus connection. Both authors contributed equally on the human subjects protocol, literature review, methodology, defining variables, problem formulation, data collection, and analyzing the data.