#firstgenerationcollegestudents

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[ad_1] Employers Discriminate In opposition to First-Technology Faculty Graduates, New Research Reveals [ad_2]

[ad_1] Employers Discriminate In opposition to First-Technology Faculty Graduates, New Research Reveals [ad_2]

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USC First-Generation College Student Summit

Last Saturday, I attended the first-generation college student summit at USC. The summit was established to “bring together students, faculty, and supporters to discuss how to improve the experiences of student who are first in their families to attend college.” These are my full notes from the day.

Welcome

George Sanchez, professor and vice dean for diversity and strategic initiatives at USC, kicked off the summit by describing how he knows he is a first-generation college student:

I know I’m a first-generation college student because my parents could not help me fill out my college applications, but they gave me the support to figure it out.

I know I’m a first-generation college student because I’m a role model to the younger members of my family and community.

I know I’m a first-generation college student because I cringe when I enter a room without others who look like me.

We often talk about first-generation college students as students who could not rely on their parents for information about college. We tend not to talk about how our parents often provide the emotional support that encourages us to seek that information from elsewhere. We also tend not to talk about what the experiences of being a first-generation college student mean after we graduate from college. As first-generation college graduates, we are seen as resources for other first-generation college-bound students in our family and in our community—and we must provide information about college to those who seek it from us. We are also very aware of being one of few in our classrooms or offices who looks or talks like us, and we worry constantly about being judged because of our socioeconomic background. Therefore, as Dr. Sanchez advises, when we talk about being first-generation graduates and when we talk about how we can provide support to first-generation college students, we should address these other aspects of the first-generation title.

Plenary Panel

Angela Chuan-Ru Chen, director of the Pre-Health Dreamers network, tried her hardest to be invisible in college. She avoided receiving medical services at the student health center for fear of having to report her undocumented status and focused entirely on completing her degree in the midst of the California Proposition 187 controversy. Today, she advocates for the visibility and inclusion of undocumented and first-generation college students on college campuses.

Dereca Blackmon, associate dean and director of the diversity and first-generation office at Stanford, creates brave spaces for students to talk about diversity issues on campus. Blackmon believes it’s okay to not know how to talk about these sensitive and controversial topics but it’s not okay to not try.

In addition to creating spaces for open dialogues on the realities of low-income, first-generation students of color on campus, her work aims to dispel the notion of meritocracy in higher education. When Blackmon was accepted to Stanford in high school—the only student to have ever been admitted from her predominately white boarding school in Massachusetts—she repeatedly heard classmates say, “You were only accepted to Stanford because you’re Black.” In saying so, her classmates were not only indicating that she received an unfair advantage in her admission because of her race, they also expressed the sentiment that all other Stanford admits deserved their acceptance because they were all 4.0 prodigies. Today, Blackmon tells her students she was likely accepted to Stanford because she is Black. She also tells her students that others were likely accepted because their parent(s) attended the university, others were likely accepted because they were good at shooting a ball through a hoop, and others were likely accepted because they were from a particular region of the country that was underrepresented on campus at the time of their application. Whereas U.S. News Rankings and other media outlets would have us believe that every Stanford student was in the top of their high school class, the reality is that other non-academic aspects of the student’s application are significant factors in the admissions decision. In her case, her application showed that she was an academically-gifted Black student from a low-income, Detroit, Michigan family; she had an underrepresented standpoint that Stanford both wanted and needed on their campus. Now in her position as a facilitator on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion, she works to have underrepresented views visibly represented on campus. One of her favorite quotes from a Stanford student is, “I didn’t overcome my low-income status; I am who I am because of it.”

Ana Elizabeth Rosas, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies at UCI, attended a conference in Northern California days before the summit. She spoke to her cab driver about her work during the ride from Southern California. After the conference, she called the cab service to request the same cab driver for her ride back home. To her surprise, the cab driver had requested to have his son be her driver instead. The cab driver hoped that speaking to Rosas would inspire his son to pursue higher education. Rosas understands that she is seen as an exemplar of what higher education can do for low-income, first-generation college students of color, and she takes on that responsibility even when she is off the clock.

Nick Valencia, CNN reporter and producer, went from being a seen as the White-washed boy in his South Central neighborhood to an ambassador of Latina/o culture on national television. A fifth-generation, Mexican American from Los Angeles, he was surprised to hear comments such as, “Your English is so good” and “You should stick to reporting Latina/o news stories” in his position as a reporter for a major news outlet. Proud of both his Mexican and American identity, Valencia reports breaking news stories across the country for both CNN and CNN en Español. Valencia believes that to show what you have to offer you must show up when it matters.

Prior to becoming a CNN reporter, Valencia was a student at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. In high school, he rejected scholarship offers from the other top universities where he received fall 2001 admission and agreed to begin his studies at USC in spring 2002 after being waitlisted. When he was later granted fall admission, he was both relieved and dismayed. He carried a chip on his shoulder all throughout his time at USC, but he used this experience as a source of motivation rather than restraint; he took advantage of every opportunity he could and earned a reputation as a remarkable journalist on campus. Valencia lives by the words, “Greatness is measured by how hard it is to discourage you.”

Keynote Address

Michael Quick, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at USC, failed 11 of 12 classes his senior year of high school—passing only the one he needed to graduate on time. Quick lived in a tent outside of Washington D.C. his senior year of high school, while his family chased construction jobs around the country. After high school, he worked mining jobs alongside his father and was told by many that he would not amount to anything more than being a mineworker. Nevertheless, he attended college for the sake of learning. Seeking to continue being a student and not hold a “real job,” Quick applied to Ph.D. programs in neuroscience after college. He accepted an offer from Emory University, not knowing entirely what a Ph.D. program would entail; in fact, it was not until he was enrolled that he learned that he would earn a doctorate degree upon completing the program and it was not until much later that he learned that each of his professors held doctorate degrees. Quick earned his doctorate from Emery and became a faculty member at the University of Alabama. Today, he oversees 18 professional schools at USC and conducts rigorous research on the influence of drug abuse on nerve cells.

Quick believes that humans evolved for struggle and not happiness. Thus, we should to accept that we are all quivering masses of indecision and stress and it is okay to graduate from high school and not know what we want to do. It is even okay to graduate from college and not know what we want to do. At every point in life, he believes, we should not know what we want to do for the rest of our lives but we should be willing to struggle onward. For these reasons, he believes first-generation college students are at an advantage. As first-generation college students and graduates, we have strengthened our decision-making and problem-solving skills as well as resiliency—these attributes enable us to push forward through the struggle of life.

Breakout Sessions

Reframing Advising and Mentoring was led by USC practitioners Octavio Avila, director of Student Special Services, Erin Quinn, associate dean of science and health, Brianne Wada, associate director of the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund, and Jaime Carias, civic engagement coordinator. Panelist shared their tips for providing effective advising and mentoring to first-generation college students.

Quinn is not a first-generation college student, but as an academic advisor for first-generation college students, she has learned to begin by asking the student to share their story. First-generation college student status is not observable, but from her experience, it does influence how involved the student is on campus. Above all, Quinn believes mentors and advisors should offer kindness and attention to the students they serve. Adding to Quinn’s recommendations, Avila suggests that a mentor or advisor focus also on listening to what is not being said and checking non-verbal reactions. Avila also suggests that a mentor or advisor should also continue to read research on best practices.

Carias shared his story of growing up just a few miles from USC. He remembers visiting the campus during football tailgate season to collect bottles and cans with his mother. Today, Carias holds a master’s from the USC Price School of Public Policy and develops community engagement initiatives for USC. He advises first-generation college students to “thrive—don’t just survive. There’s a different expectation when you thrive.” To thrive is to let it be known that you belong on the campus.

Stanford’s Best Practices was led by Stanford practitioners Dereca Blackmon, associate dean and director of the diversity and first-generation office, and Joseph Brown, professor and graduate diversity recruitment officer. Blackmon and Brown gave the following advice for engaging student, administrators, faculty, and donors to support first-generation and low-income students.

Let people make a difference because the idea that people don’t care is wrong. When the diversity and first-generation office was awarded a $50,000 donation, Blackmon set out to spend the money as soon as possible. Blackmon knew that if she wanted more generous donations such as this one, she had to demonstrate a need for it. Following her direction, the office publicized the fund widely and requested application for funding from students.  Within hours, the office had approved roughly $12,000 in funding requests for students the office served. Among recipients of the fund was a graduating senior who he did not own a suit; he received funding to buy a suit for upcoming job interviews. Upon hearing about office’s multiple funding requests from students, the donor doubled his donation that same day. This story shows that people are eager to make a difference and we should work with donors to make it happen. Furthermore, she recommends asking for money from those you pay. Blackmon came from a non-profit background; her non-profit experience taught her to ask for money from anyone and everyone because you never know where the money is going to come from. Years ago, she asked for a small donation from her UPS carrier. The UPS carrier spoke with his union about the organization’s efforts and came back later with a much larger donation than Blackmon had expected.

Tell parents about all the ways their students can get involved on campus. There are so many enriching opportunities available at Stanford, but students—especially low-income, first-generation students—tend not to apply for them. Blackmon and Brown tell parents about these opportunities so that they can push their students to get involved.

Use emotional intelligence. Blackmon leads discussions on topics such as gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Although she is an advocate for diversity and inclusion, she has unknowingly offended students who are intended to benefit from these discussions. Blackmon recalls a time when she referred to wheelchair-use as a disability. A student in a wheelchair came up to her after the discussion and, in tears, told her it was not a disability. In this situation, Blackmon knew she could not throw out the research, which does refer to wheelchair use as a disability, and she could not tell her other students in wheelchairs she knows do refer to it as a disability. Instead, she responded, “This is new to me. I hadn’t heard this. Can you tell me more?” Using emotional rather than academic intelligence helped Blackmon understand this student’s perspective on the issue.

Success Strategies for Transfer Students was led by Lena Njoku and Kairos Llobrera, academic advisors for the USC Undergraduate Programs.

Many incoming first-generation college students begin their undergraduate studies in community college. They jump a number of hurdles to transfer to a university, and once they do, they are confronted with a new set of obstacles. These challenges include having to quickly adjust to the rigor of the university and a new campus culture, building a new support system on campus, imposter syndrome, and having a sense of urgency to graduate and begin their careers. Njoku and Llobrera advise students to focus on their direction rather than their speed and make use of the academic resources and support services available to ease their transition to USC.

[oberlinundergraduateresearch]

Afia Ofori-Mensa, Director of the Oberlin College Office of Undergraduate Research, sat down with Oberlin College President Marvin Krislov to discuss underrepresented students in STEM, and the new STRONG program!

[oberlinundergraduateresearch]

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE FEBRUARY 2, 2015

The Preparing Future Researchers Program offers an immersive research experience with a faculty mentor, social excursions, networking opportunities, and workshops to help participants apply for graduate school and prepare themselves for graduate education. Participants work with a faculty mentor with special expertise and matched interests on an agreed upon research project. Outstanding undergraduate students who are underrepresented in their prospective graduate disciplines or first-generation in college are encouraged to apply to learn more about the graduate school experience.

[tylersmanning]

Characteristics of College Students in the United States (Renn & Reason, 2013)

This article helps to paint a more distinctive picture of what college students in the United States look like.  I believe that the statement that this generation is the most racially and ethnically diverse is absolutely true, which is why I put a picture of a melting pot.  We all come with multiple identities and different experiences which help to form our values, beliefs, and ideas about the world around us.  As a student affairs professional, it is important to understand these experiences and these characteristics because they are integral to understanding the multitude of types of students that we are going to be interacting with on a daily basis.

However, I have one issue with this article.  They discuss first-generation students as an important characteristic of college students.  I completely agree.  However, they state that first-generation college students are more likely to begin this higher education journey at a two-year institution.  They are also more likely to experience a difficult transition to college and are less likely to engage in activities that are implemented to promote academic persistence.

Now the reason I disagree with this subsection of the article is because I am a first-generation college student.  My grandparents and my parents have never stepped foot into an institution of higher education.  I am the first person in my family to ever attend college.  I started my journey at a four-year public nonprofit institution in Michigan.  I had an easy time acclimating to college, participated in activities and organizations that retrospectively led to my persistence, and graduated magna cum laude before heading off to graduate school.

I know the authors give a warning that people have to remember people have multiple identities so that might be why some of these claims are made but I just think it is unique that through this research that has been done, my life should be heading in a different direction since I identify as a true first-generation student.