Scum

Abstract

"Scum" is the personal narrative of first-generation scholar Lola Cawsey, a first-year undergraduate student at Durham University. As the narrative unfolds, she creates a comparison between the life she led before starting university and the challenging situations she has overcome in an elitist, exclusive environment where her identity as a first-generation scholar often places her as the recipient of others’ criticisms. The word "scum" comes to embody Lola’s struggles and doubts, but also inspires her drive for change and her advocation of the power of first-generation scholars.