Coming out as poor at an elite university

Jennifer Guerra:

Chris Reynolds will never forget his first day on campus at the University of Michigan. He and his dad had gotten up super early to drive the nine hours from Sellersville, Pennsylvania to Ann Arbor.

“My father literally just dropped me off and then left,” says Reynolds. His dad couldn’t afford a hotel, so they took about an hour to unpack the car, said their goodbyes, and his dad drove off.

Chris Reynolds was officially on his own.

What follows are three stories about what it’s like to be the first person in your family to go, not only to college, but to an elite university like U of M.