This past Sept. 5, dean of students Shannon Dycus hosted an event to celebrate first generation college students and their accomplishments by becoming the first one in their family to ever go to college.
The event allowed first-year students who are experiencing college life for the first time to interact with other students and staff members that have experienced the challenges of being a first generation college student.
This event was inspired by a campaign going on in a lot of different colleges and universities across the country seeking to celebrate the successes of first generation college students. The campaign “I’m First” allows students to express the challenges and successes of taking the first step and becoming the first one in their family to attend college. During the event, students were able to hear from other students and professionals and listen to their stories and experiences. Students were also able to interact with each other during the lunch that was provided during the event, and they were able to ask questions to the student panel that provided advice, share their experiences, and answer their questions.
When asked about what it felt like to be part of the event, panelist and first generation student Lene Andrawas said “It was nice being part of this event because it helped to meet other first-gen students and help them get more familiar with the campus as well as making EMU their new home.”
Andrawas also highlighted how important it is for EMU to do events like this to support their students and to help first-year students to get more involved and acclimated to the environment of college life.
Andrawas talked about the positive and negative things that being a first-generation student can bring to a person. “The positive thing is that I’m being an example to my siblings and family members, but there is a lot of pressure from family to do well in classes, and I don’t want to let them down,” she said.
This event was an opportunity for first generation students to feel welcome, receive useful information, and a great opportunity for EMU to provide support and resources to students who might feel scared and excited about this new chapter in their lives.
