University of Rochester Celebrates First-Generation College Students During ‘First-Gen Week’

This November, colleges and universities across the country, including the University of Rochester (UR), will recognize First-Generation College Celebration (FGCC) day. Launched in 2017 by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the Center for First-Generation Student Success, FGCC day is an opportunity to share and celebrate first-gen experiences and achievements nationally. The day is intentionally celebrated on November 8, to commemorate the passage of the Higher Education Act signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. COE and the Center for First Generation Student Success hope institutions and organizations use the date to highlight and recognize first-gen students, while also encouraging communities to gain a better understanding of the systemic barriers plaguing higher education, according to their websites. UR will not only celebrate students on November 8 but will host a series of events for First-Gen Week: November 6-10.

First-Gen Week Celebrations Planned for November 6-10

The David T. Kearns Center, the Greene Center, the First-Generation Students and Families Committee, the 1^st Gen Society student organization and the University Health Promotion Office are collaborating to offer different events for first-gen students during First-Gen Week. From inspiring academic events to fun celebrations, First-Gen week will offer students various engagement opportunities. Melissa Raucci, Assistant Director for College Programs at the Kearns Center says she is excited for what is planned for this year. “First-Gen Week on our campus has evolved tremendously, from one day recognizing the National First-Gen Day of Celebration, to a whole week's worth of events. This evolution would be impossible without our campus partners and student support. Engaging the entire campus community in celebration, recognition, and support of first-generation college students illustrates how we value the experiences of our students and their contributions to our campus.”

First-Gen Week Kick Off Event

Featured Speaker Dr. Joan Collier

The Kearns Center will kick off First-Gen Week on Monday November 6 by hosting a talk by featured speaker, Dr. Joan Collier, Assistant Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at Rutgers University. Dr. Collier is a first-generation college student and has more than ten years of experience in higher education as a practitioner, scholar, and educator. She is excited to share her story with the students here at the university, and hopes they feel celebrated, encouraged, and empowered after attending the event. “I'm thrilled to be a part of First-Gen Week at the University of Rochester because it's important to me that other first-gen students see possibility models for what success looks like. Our experiences aren't necessarily monolithic, but I hope that attendees can find themselves in my story, be affirmed that they belong at the university, and are inspired to dream at the level of their excellence.”

At UR, a student is identified as a first-generation college student if neither parent(s) or guardian(s) obtained a bachelor’s degree. And there are quite a few first-generation college students at UR. According to UR undergraduate admissions, the percentage of students identifying themselves as first-generation has held steady over the last four years, at around 23 percent. On the national level, one in three undergraduates identifies as first-gen, according to the Center for First-Generation Student Success. Dr. Collier believes it is so important that institutions and organizations across the country celebrate first-gen experiences and achievements, which can create a strong sense of belonging for students. “When I was coming through college back in the early 2000's, being first-gen was treated as insufficient, not quite right. Our "readiness" for college was almost always in question. Celebrating first-gen experiences and achievements recognizes the knowledge, talents, skills, and brilliance of folks for whom college has not been an intergenerational experience. Celebrating first-gen achievement signals to the university community that the success of first-gen students is the university's success.”

Dr. Collier says her college experience was transformative and credits opportunities, relationships, and experiences she gained during her college years for helping shape her into the person she is today. “Growing up, my family expected my sibling and I to go to college, even though neither of my parents had earned degrees. According to my mother, earning good grades was "my job". So, college was the next logical step for me after high school” says Collier. “I attended Georgia State University in Atlanta where I was surrounded by many other first-gen peers. College was AMAZING. I grew so much as a person and learner. I gained mentors who continue to pour into me to this day. I didn't fully comprehend what it meant to be a first-generation college student. I knew that I didn't necessarily have the navigational awareness that folks whose parents (or grandparents) had graduated from college. Looking back on my time in undergrad, with the knowledge I have now as a college administrator, I see where the gaps in awareness existed in my experience.”

Being a first-generation college student can mean different things for different people. For Dr. Collier: “Being first-gen means that I got/get to define what success looks like for me. Being first-gen means that the prayers of my elders and ancestors are still working long after they were prayed because their Joanie is now Dr. Joan Collier, a proud first-gen scholar. Being first-gen means that anything is possible and that with the right support, many things are probable.”

Dr. Collier also serves as an Affiliate Faculty of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers- New Brunswick and serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. She is co-founder of the #CiteASista Black feminist project and serves as a full-spectrum doula in New Jersey. To hear more of Dr. Collier’s story, join us on November 6, from 6-7 p.m. in Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons.

2023 First-Gen Week events:

• Thursday, November 2, 2023, 1-2PM: First-Generation College Celebration event broadcast #1, Gowen Room, Wilson Commons (This event is co-hosted by the Center for First-Generation Student Success and COE)
• Monday, November 6, 2023, 6-7 p.m.: Featured Speaker Dr. Joan Collier, AVP for Equity and Inclusion at Rutgers University. Location: Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons
• Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 1-3 p.m.: First-Gen Fun Day. Location: Hirst Lounge, Wilson Commons
• Wednesday, November 8, 2023, 5:15-6:30 p.m.: Networking Night. Location: Dewey Hall, 1-101 Auditorium
• Wednesday, November 8, 2023, 6-7PM: First-Generation College Celebration event broadcast #2, Humanities Center Conference Room D, Rush Rhees Library (This event is co-hosted by the Center for First-Generation Student Success and COE)
• Thursday, November 9, 2023, 5-6 p.m.: First-Gen Paws; Therapy Dogs. Location: River Level, Interfaith Chapel
• Friday, November 10, 2023, 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Kearns Center Leadership Awards. Location: Gamble Room, Rush Rhees Library
• Happening all week: UR Scavenger Hunt presented by the First-Generation Students and Families Committee. Pick up the scavenger hunt instructions at the Campus Information Center at Wilson Commons