Editor’s Note: In this video narrative, University of Michigan graduate student and Georgetown University graduate Aya Waller-Bey discusses her experience as a first-generation student and navigating the federal student aid application process. This story is Aya-Waller-Bey’s video submission to Voices of Today’s Students,  a national campaign to educate policymakers about the demographic shift and experiences of the modern higher learning student, highlight their needs, and discuss policy barriers and solutions to increasing student success.

Aya Waller-Bey is a first-year doctoral student studying sociology at the University of Michigan.