First in the Family: How High-Achieving, First-Generation Vietnamese-American Students Navigate the Elite College Environment, a Study Using Portraiture Methodology

First in the family: how high-achieving, first-generation Vietnamese-American students navigate the elite college environment, a study using portraiture methodology, is an in-depth study of five Vietnamese-American students at an elite institution, Ivy College (pseudonym). The main purpose of the study was to examine the lived experiences of first-generation Vietnamese-American students at a highly selective college using Portraiture methodology. The study analyzed the data using Bourdieuian's theory of social and cultural capital. The main research questions were: (1) What does being first-generation mean for Vietnamese-American students at Ivy College? (2) What challenges do first-generation Vietnamese-American students experience at Ivy College? (3) How do Vietnamese-American students navigate the elite college environment? Findings from the study indicated that first-generation Vietnamese-American students are able to navigate the elite college environment; however, they had to overcome daunting obstacles. Consistent with extant research, certain characteristics of first-generation, low-income students were evidenced. Participants in the study reported that their parents were extremely supportive of their children's education, even though their parents were not able to help them navigate the college application process and eventual matriculation. All participants experienced significant challenges in college due to their lack of social and cultural capital, low-income status, and first-generation status. Keywords: first-generation, social capital, cultural capital, narrative, low-income.