What is social capital? The Oxford Dictionary defines social capital as “the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively.” It is these “networks of relationships” that create your social capital. It is about who you know. The more connections you have, the greater your social capital is, and the greater access to resources you have. I once heard it as your network is your networth. One way to build your social capital is through networking. Yet, this is a concept I did not live by consciously as an undergraduate student, but in retrospect, I unconsciously engaged in it, however minimal it might have been.
Not surprising, research shows social capital is influenced by race, social class, and other institutionalized social and cultural structures. Not surprising either is that research shows there is a social capital gap for those of us who identify as first-generation college students, those of us who were raised in a low-income household, and those of us who are part of a minority group. The impact of such gap can be sensed at the academic level. As a first-generation and low-income college student, I had limited financial and personal support from family. While my parents fueled my motivation to earn a college degree, I was left to figure out the admission process, FAFSA, and other financial pieces, but I did not do it alone. I reached out to UO admission counselors, advisors and visited the financial aid office to get answers, but I was not intentionally building my social capital.
I did not take advantage of all the resources available to me as a student nor did I become as involved in college as I could have, but I built key relationships with professors who became my mentors and who paved my career development. I majored in Romance Languages unaware of what I would do after earning my bachelor’s degree. I had not considered graduate school until my mentor and Spanish professor motivated me to pursue a master’s degree in Spanish. In doing so, I was able to teach first- and second-year level Spanish courses here at UO as a graduate teaching assistant. That teaching experience led me to my first job teaching GED preparatory courses at a high school equivalency program, and later teaching Spanish at Lane Community College. When I look back, my professor was the pivotal agent to my professional track. As an undergraduate student I viewed networking negatively. I thought of it as a corruptive and manipulative way of building connections, yet as I was building these connections with professors, I was unintentionally networking.
Thus, approaching networking from a place of authenticity can make connections feel fruitful and un-transactional. My genuine interest and curiosity in the course subject led me to connect with professors during office hours and eventually it me helped me forge connections with a few. Building connections do not happen overnight but exploring and connecting with the resources available at UO is a good place to start. Social mobility for first generation and low-income college students is more challenging than ever before. To narrow the social capital gap, start networking and building your social capital early on. The Career Center offers specific and concrete ways to get started. Visit https://career.uoregon.edu/networking. More importantly, be brave, be curious, ask questions, and get involved. And as you make connections remember Maya Angelou’s words, “…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Written by: Nora Fandino Unzaga; TRIO SSS Advisor
