Feeling Like a Fish Out of Water

First-generation professionals provide support and mentorship.

The first generation in her family to go to college and law school, Miosotti Tenecora (’19) struggled to find her place at BU Law. “It seemed like students who came from more professional families were better prepared. I didn’t know any other first-generation students, so I felt like I stuck out and was isolated,” she says.

Certain that there were more students at BU Law like her, she launched a student group in 2017 called First-Generation Professionals (FGP), with support from the administration and faculty. Since then, she has been on a mission to build FGP and connect first-generation students with each other and mentors. She wants to end that sense of isolation that is so common among first-generation students. By sharing backgrounds and discussing challenges, she seeks to build bridges.

Mark Morris’s (’83) experience as a first-generation student sounds very similar. He describes his law school experience as “challenging” and “isolating.” As the first generation in his family to graduate from college, he felt like a fish out of water in law school. “Everything was new, from the academic rigor of law school and the legal vocabulary to the need to buy nice suits for on-campus recruiting,” he says.

Now the firm-wide managing partner at Fox Rothschild in Philadelphia, a national firm with over 800 lawyers in 22 offices across the country, Morris says that being a first-generation college student had its pros and cons. The pros included an appreciation for being in a new place. Raised in Washington Heights in New York City, he describes his neighborhood at the time as full of drugs and crime. Living with his father after his mother died, they shared a one-bedroom apartment while his father worked as a city tax clerk.

While there was never a doubt for Morris that he would go to college, it was up to him to research schools, complete the applications, and navigate applying for financial aid. He ended up at the State University of New York in Albany because of financial aid awards, scholarships, and two jobs.

“Growing up in NYC, I had never experienced anything other than urban life,” Morris explains. “Going to Albany and living on a campus was like visiting a foreign land. I knew there was more out there than my world in the city, so it was good to experience being in school with people from different backgrounds. I also realized that I was prepared to be self-sufficient and could take care of myself.”

When it was time to pick a major, Morris considered journalism, but the industry’s lower salaries encouraged him to look at other options, like the law. “I knew I would have to take care of myself financially,” he says, “which for me meant pursuing a profession. I had always been interested in debate about political and other issues, and law school seemed like a logical step.”

Having visited and enjoyed Boston during college, he came to BU Law thanks to a financial aid award. “It wasn’t a complete ride, but it helped a lot,” he says.

Law school, recalls Morris, turned out to be a lot harder than college. “It was the first time that I felt so academically challenged. Law school meant learning a whole new vocabulary and I had no background in anything related to law or business. I also had no money, because instead of working like I did in college, I dedicated myself to studying.

“It was isolating,” he continues. “Most of my classmates came from suburban families and were supported by their parents. They had a sense of what it was like to be a professional, but this was all new to me. Even buying suits to go on a job interview was new. And the interviews with large NYC firms didn’t go well because I lacked professional polish and experience.”

Expanding his job search to Philadelphia, he interviewed at Fox Rothschild and joined as an associate in the real estate department. He has now worked there for more than 30 years.

As a first-generation student, Morris appreciated the importance of mentorship and served as a big brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters when he was in college. Working at Fox Rothschild, he reconnected with the organization in southeastern Pennsylvania, eventually serving on the board and as the board chair.

He also founded the “Beyond the Walls” program at Fox Rothschild, which pairs 30 mentors from the firm in relationships to help children from a local elementary school. “I know how valuable it was for me to find people who affected my life as a young boy and I wanted to provide that for more children,” he says.

When Morris heard about FGP at BU Law, he says he “was excited to learn of its work to support and mentor first-generation law students. There is no better way to advance your career than through personal relationships with people who can take an interest in your efforts and help guide you. If you have someone to talk to who has been through similar experiences, it’s a lot easier to succeed.”

Reported by Meghan S. Laska

This feature originally appeared in The Record, BU Law’s alumni magazine. Read the full issue here.

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