“As a kid, I never believed I could have gone to college, when I finish, I know that when I have kids, they will grow up with optimism I never was able to have.”
This from a recent first-gen at their graduation, one of the teariest diploma handoffs President Jonathan Green of Susquehanna University has experienced. Having worked one-on-one with hundreds of first-gen students over the years, each of them he’d say were memorable, this one in particular came from a complex set of family circumstances that created additional challenges to staying in school. Green helped guide his mentee through the curriculum, and was inspired by the student’s impromptu remark about the situation.
“When I went to college the vast majority of students were first generation. I was one of the few people in my hallway who was not, so back then we didn’t address it, but over time, as more second-gen+ students enrolled in colleges, many institutions took for granted that students and their families knew the ‘inside baseball’ of higher education.”
President Jonathan Green
Today, many of Susquehanna’s campus leaders, faculty, and staff are first-gen. Celebrating current first-gen students shows they are surrounded by people who have shared their experiences and can offer mentorship, both of which are highly useful.
“My faculty believed I could do things I never thought possible, but that gave me the courage to try.”
Another quote from another first-gen student President Green recalls from over the years, and why he believes residential liberal-arts colleges are important; the engagement fostered allows for self-discovery and improvement.
For students, it is especially important for them to learn about and use the services we have available. The Career Development Center, Breakthrough, the CAS, and all of the other offices and organizations focussed on student success are all new and unfamiliar to them, but each will make their college experience richer and easier.
For me, it was seeing first-gen faculty that made all the difference. Whether it be a professor or head of a department, knowing that someone had walked the path I’m currently on, and obviously made something of themselves, is encouraging even before possibly receiving specialized advice on asking questions to know what we don’t even know to ask. I asked President Green what it took to succeed on campus, and was impressed, though not surprised by his words:
“Talent, determination, self-discipline are all obvious answers, but believing in yourself is incredibly important. That often first requires having others believe in you. It can be contagious. I have spoken with many alumni of Susquehanna who tell me the “person” who made the biggest difference for them was their classmates. As a community, our students are especially good at looking out for each other”
Pres. Jonathan Green
I’ve said it once and will continue to reiterate: You’re first, but you’re not alone. You’ve a whole network just waiting to impart wisdom on and converse with you, to relate stories and hear from your experience, and to learn from you as much as you learn from them. We’re looking to share some first-gen success stories, so comment below or share your story with us if you’d like to help get the word out that first-gen are not alone!
firstgenclass.school.blog 