This article first appear on the UBalt website for a series called "Going First: First-Generation College Stories." Visit the page to view the associated video. 

Resilience has been a defining trait of Ariel Brown-Wicks since her turbulent early childhood. It helped her overcome death, abuse and strained family relationships. It saw her through the seemingly impossible pursuit of a college degree—her family’s first. 

Ariel graduated from The University of Baltimore in May with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Next, she plans to pursue a M.S. in Interaction Design and Information Architecture at UBalt.

“You can get education advice from others, you can have the role models, but if it’s not in your heart to believe in where you’re going, you’re not going to get there,” she said. “For me, I believed in myself, I believed that I would get there.”

Ariel grew up in a loving but small two-bedroom apartment with her eight siblings and grandmother. Her mother struggled with drugs and her father was in the military; neither were part of her life.

“I thought that some kids have mothers, some kids have fathers and some kids just have grandmothers,” Ariel said. “I was happy. This was the norm for me.”

At age 5, she met her father the night her grandmother had  a stroke. He was a stranger now given the opportunity to look after his daughter. The first time he introduced himself was as they drove away from the only home she knew to a new one she would share with him. She felt safe immediately.

Unfortunately, their time together was short. Her mother wanted the siblings to stay together. Soon, Ariel, about 8 years old, would move again into a shared foster home with some of her other siblings. But it was an abusive home.

“I knew at a young age that I was really smart. I was always in gifted and talented programs, I was always really creative. I could draw. And I knew that I wanted more for myself than the circumstances that I was in,” she said. 

It would take years but she found the courage to speak up to a social worker. This single act of bravery would prove a turning point for Ariel. 

She ended up with a woman she came to love dearly. This woman was the first to encourage Ariel to live a life she deserved rather than only dreamed. 

“She always talked about me going to college and just being better and breaking generational curses, as she would say. And it was at that point with her that I knew that I could be more and go further than what I had been through,” Ariel recalled. 

Now a teenager, Ariel fully immersed herself in school and sports and was all the happier for it. Her coaches helped her build her confidence.

While she was in high school, her father died. They stayed close even though they had been physically separated. It devastated her. Fortunately, by this time, she had built a new support system around herself to survive the new tragedy. 

She persisted, finished high school and continued on to Coppin State University. 

Ariel had a difficult time on her own in college, struggling in the ways many first-generation students do. Unlike in high school, she didn’t have role models to guide her.

After two semesters, she failed out. Around the same time, she had a son. Her life was changing rapidly. She forced herself to pause and carefully consider her future. 

“When he was born, I realized that I didn’t want to repeat cycles of my past,” Ariel said. “When I was younger and going from my grandmother’s house to my father’s, then to my stepmother’s house, I moved around a lot and I didn’t want that for my son. … My child just gave me the inspiration to buckle down and get serious; to give him something that I didn’t have growing up: stability.” 

Ariel knew a college degree could be a game changer. She decided to try again, but another way. 

She enrolled at Baltimore City Community College. This time, in this format, she thrived. She accepted her associate degree like it was always waiting for her and moved on to a bachelor’s degree program at the University of Baltimore. 

Ariel was drawn to its Entrepreneurship Fellows Program, which is part of the Merrick School of Business’ B.S. in Business Administration program. 

She had already started a business, a virtual office that helps business owners run their back office. She knew she would benefit from more mentorship, for her business and herself. Getting a degree was a bonus. 

“This school has far exceeded my expectations. I’ve loved my time here,” Ariel said. “Graduating has been amazing. I never thought that—well, I knew that I could do it, but it just seemed so far off from where I was and where I came from. And I’m just so proud of myself for graduating.”

Going First is an ongoing series highlighting the students, alumni, faculty and staff part of the UBalt community who were the first in their families to earn a bachelor's degree. Read more first-generation stories.