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Last Reflection

WAB Day 6 3.10.2017 The past week we have learned a lot about the efforts of various different sources that aim at helping first-generation students get into --and stay-- in college. There are various initiatives in which people who are interested in helping first-generation students are lobbying in various government departments in order to raise funding and make it easier for first-generation students to get to college. Something that I personally didn't know,for example, was that the FASFA was available in different languages, as I had to fill it out in English since my parents don't understand the language. Despite these many efforts, I still feel like there should be a greater emphasis on funding for first-generation programs such as Upward Bound in order to get more frustration and minority students into college. We also learned the importance of not only good grades and community are important whilst in college, but also we learned about the value of networking. The various speakers that we have visited have all stressed the importance for making valuable connections with the people we meet as to network with them. Something that was interesting to see was the way that our alumni interacted despite having graduated college a long time ago. It was endearing to know that they wanted to be involved, know about current challenges at Wake, and help us give us ideas for making these changes. In regards to some of the ideas that we want to bring back to Wake Forest University, we discussed some ideas that would make our interactions with other students more encompassing in nature. For example, redefining first generation to apply to a wider group of people would be something that we could pursuit, as everyone who is not familiar with the American educational system has the right to find resources that are available to those other people are utilizing. In addition, when considering the relationship of the current first-year Magnolia Scholars, we suggest that the Scholars office to set up more programs for the First in the Forest students. There seems to be a lack of communication and interaction of people in this program that could prove to be resolved if the students are in contact with each other. Moving forward, I think that if students with similar backgrounds where each other's support system, we will have better retention rates and have more first-generation alumni. -Brendy

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#celebratingdiversity Ethiopianfood Russiandesserts viatnamesedrinks

Reflecting on Access: White House Association and WFU Alumni Dinner

WAB Day 5 3.9.2017 Reflection: March 9, 2017 Today was more than anything I had thought of and expected. As a group, we were able to experience a gathering of governmental workers/officials at the White House Association. We dressed for the event in a formal fashion and when we arrived at the White House association, it was clear that everyone was in awe by how elegant the house was. The atmosphere of the room was very lighthearted yet sophisticated so that it gave off a feeling of importance. Anita McBride gave a speech about education policy and the many aspects of education policy that have been integrated and are in the process of integration to propel the access of education for students across the country. In addition to that, she talked about how she got the job of working very closely with Bush's wife which was through campaigning. Her upbringings were very inspirational to me even though some things that she stated during the speech didn't sit well with my beliefs and representation. That night, we went to the home of Marc Dalton that graduated from Wake Forest in 1993 and is now a physician in DC. In addition, we also met up with other alumni that were very inspirational and motivating. They all had very different personalities and career paths which goes to show that anything can be done with a Wake degree as long as you're motivated and willing to work hard. Overall, this day was amazing in that it illustrated to the students on this trip the power of education by having people that were once in our shoes not to long ago talk and share their experiences with us. I am very thankful that they shared their experiences with us because I acknowledge that learning does not only take place in a classroom, but also outside of the classroom and this trip proved it to be true because now I feel like I have the right tools, skills and knowledge to continue my education and advocate for those that are first generation students that want to pursue higher education. -Yabsera Bekele

Hispanic cultural immersion at Cocina Mexicana and then later on fajitas cooking night led by Ali and Brendy.

#celebratingdiversity hispanicculture onlytwodroppedwaterglasses fajitas inclusion

Education, Women's Day, Social Capitol @ Union Station

WAB Day 4 March 8, 2017

We started off our day by walking to Union Station to meet with Takirra Winfield Dixon, the National Director of Communications for Democrats For Education Reform. The meeting with her carried much more like a conversation, she gave a little minute autobiography and opened the floor for discussion - which some of us found to be a refreshing change of pace. Takirra seemed to have accomplished so much so quickly in her life but she also voiced that the transitions between her positions were not so seamless. We all enjoyed her stories about Joe and the Obamas especially how Joe liked to go “rogue”. What I loved most about her story is that she had a guiding principle with which she made her life decisions. She never planned out where she wanted to go in her career but followed what she was passionate about and deviated from what she was not. When she disagreed about her company’s actions she left and when she felt he efforts were better placed elsewhere she chose a different path. A thread that Takirra voiced that we’ve heard throughout the week was that who you know is very valuable. I think we took a lot from our conversation with her. We agreed with some of her ideas and disagreed with others but in the end, like many who we’ve met on this trip, she was eager to help us in the future if we ever needed internships or job opportunities.

-Frank Dy

#socialnetworking #internationalwomansday2017

#diversityandinclusion learnigfromecho

Opportunity in Education, Century Foundation, and Celebrating Chinese Culture

WAB Day 3 3.7.2017 Today in the morning, we went to the Council for Opportunity in Education. It was such an honor to meet Alvin K. Phillips, the senior Vice President, and Fernando, the alumni coordinator. Alvin is an energetic man who is humorous and really passionate to share his stories as a first generation university student and the way he went through. I was really inspired by some of his idea, especially the social and cultural capitals. According to him, social and cultural capital are building by our interactions with other people. These capitals are the foundation of success as they are the people who are willing to give us a hand whenever we call them. The Fernando shared us his experience. Fernando is a really chill man but he really surprised me by his story: He called the office and asked them to give him an internship for three months because he was confident that they will offer him a job at last. I was totally amazed by his confidence and courage to catch the opportunity. During the lunch, we went to an authentic Chinese restaurant!! It is so interesting to see the misunderstanding caused by the differences between the authentic food and Americanised food. I was so happy that I could introduce the real Chinese food which is both adorable and delicious without heavy oil and saurce. Food is a great part of our culture. I believe that food is also the easiest and fastest way to get to know the culture of other countries. I really enjoyed the food from different countries during the journey!! In the afternoon, we talked with Kimberly Quick, a Wake alumni who works as the policy associate at The Century Foundation. It is so surprising to see that although she just graduated about 3 years ago, she is already such a professional lady. She has done a lot of meaningful works on policies in order to the reduce segregation and improve the integration situations in schools. I was really interested in the topics as they are closely relatable to my daily life and I am always finding solutions. It was a busy but meaningful day when I learned a lot, walked a lot and eat a lot! -Echo Wu

Human Rights and Hispanic Excellence

3.7.2017 WAB Day 2 Today was a pretty jam packed eventful day on First Gen WAB trip. We began by having a small breakfast at the hostel then heading over to the Human rights center to help prepare for the TEDx conference the were having tonight. Stephanie, one of the coordinators, immediately greeted us kindly and gave us a couple tasks to complete. I’m very proud of the group for obliging so quickly and working diligently to complete everything assigned to us. Stephanie was also considerate enough to offer us a viewing room where we could watch the conference if we would have liked to. The second meeting we had was with Emmanuel Caudillo, who is the senior advisor at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Emmanuel was incredibly jubilant and lively from the moment he greeted us to the moment he walked us out the Education Dep. building. I especially admire how down to earth he was throughout the entire meeting and how easily he offered to share his own experiences with the education system; he also offered us some helpful advice on how to succeed in the workforce which was pretty nice. -Hermella Tesfazgi

#whereiswubetu DEB tedxmidatlanticcoast emmanuelcaudillo wab2k17 jayz intersectiongenius indianfoodnight

#dinnerwithMHP paolo ikeptdrparker

Pilot

March 5, 2017 WAB Day 1

For 14 Wake Forest students, waking up today was excitingly welcomed with the first thought, “I’m going to D.C. today.” After accepting enthusiastic donut offerings from Rav and loading the vans, we were off to the nation’s capital. The five hour drive was a time for naps to catch up on the sleep we never got during midterms week, and it was also a time for reflection. Even though we’ve been together for less than 24 hours, something that already stands out to me is the incredible diversity of students on this trip. We’re all here from different backgrounds, from Ethiopia to china to El Salvador. Some of us are here with our closest friends; some of us (like myself) barely know anyone on this trip. But we’re all united by our common passion for the cause of education equality, a cause we will spend the week working for. And in that diversity, we have great strength. I am extremely excited to grow close with these unique people, and in doing so, to get out of my comfort zone, engage in conversation, and to grow.

After arriving and settling into the hostel, we drove over to charming Georgetown for dinner with Wake Forest’s renown Dr. Melissa Harris Perry (which has been on my bucketlist; I was excited to say the least). A delicious Italian dinner was enhanced by candid and honest conversation about opportunity, resistance, engagement, and reaction. Though we didn’t agree with everything she said, Dr. Perry provided a very powerful and inspiring narrative. Her advice about picking and choosing the battles we choose to fight stood out to me, because especially as passionate and wide-eyed students, it can be easy to get sucked into every problem we care about and to get burnt out while fighting too many battles. After dinner we debriefed and reflected, and shared our opinions on the dinner conversation. It’s critical that we stay open minded. The reflection was a little timid today but I think it will get much better as we settle into our new surroundings and grow closer with the people around us. Looking forward to the week ahead! Signing off on day 1, Alice romanov – Alice Romanov

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