Community heals: Lessons from qualitative narratives of first-generation college students.

First-generation college students struggle to navigate the college experience. Prior research suggests that social capital plays a critical role in college success such that students benefit from building networks of support within the university. We investigated whether social capital, in the form of engagement with university services, had positive implications for college students' mental health and academic performance, particularly for first-generation college students. We conducted semi-structured interviews with both first- and continuing-generation students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution to gain a qualitative, in-depth understanding of the extent to which students took advantage of university services, and whether such engagement promoted their mental health and academic success. Narratives revealed that first-generation students felt uniquely overwhelmed and could benefit from building connections and seeking support. Students emphasized the positive impact of community connections. University-wide programming focused on community building may improve first-generation students' college experience.