Journey to starting First-gen Student Organization
Marina Verlengia, Erica Sawyer, Drake University / The Center / May 03, 2023
Navigating college can be challenging for any student, but for those who are the first in their families to attend college, it can be particularly daunting. Recognizing the need to provide support for first-generation students, Drake University New Student Programs launched a series of initiatives in 2018. At that time, 10-12% of the incoming class identified as first-generation. Fast forward to fall 2022 and that number has grown to about 20%.
It has truly been a journey over the years, trying new initiatives and seeking the most effective ways to engage our growing population of first-gen students. The efforts of the office of New Student Programs were significantly enhanced and accelerated through a partnership with students to found and eventually achieve full recognition status for a first-gen student organization.
How it Started – the university perspective
In Fall of 2018, the Office of New Student Programs held a focus group with first-generation students to learn what they wanted to see in terms of support from the university. A few things that stood out included – more awareness, opportunities to connect with other first-generation students, faculty, staff and alumni, financial planning, mentorship, and community building. Many students stated they didn’t really understand what it meant to be first generation or realize they even were until a few years into college. It was also difficult for them to connect with other first-generation students since it wasn’t a topic that came up in conversation.
Over the next few years, we hosted various workshops and social events including financial planning workshops, resume and networking, ice cream socials, brunch and learns, mentoring programs and more. While attendance and interest in these programs varied, we continued to try different strategies to engage with students.
Then, the pandemic hit, and it became even more challenging to keep students engaged. However, in Spring 2021, we had the opportunity to fund several first-generation students to attend a virtual conference. The students had a wonderful experience and returned with newly gained leadership skills and ideas for first generation programming at Drake. We held a debrief meeting where students suggested starting a student organization for first-generation students at Drake. We were thrilled and very supportive of this idea, as it was great to see students taking the lead in creating a community of support.
As students navigated the process of starting the student organization on campus, the office of New Student Programs continued to provide support and check-ins to make sure things were progressing. We partnered on putting together the constitution for the organization, prepared to present to Student Senate for approval, worked on a budget and provide advising. This close relationship helped ensure that students were successful in setting up the student organization and felt support from the university community.
What it means – the student perspective
My name is Erica Sawyer. I am entering my senior year as a journalism student at Drake University. Alongside my academics, I am the co-founder and President of Drake First-Gen! I first learned the term “first-generation student” around middle school. I never thought about it too much because it seemed like the standard experience. I navigated the college application process independently. I taught myself how to apply to schools, how to make a resume, how to write a scholarship essay, and how to apply for financial aid. Throughout that process, many forms have a little checkmark to tick if you are a first-generation student. I knew I had the label of “first-gen” and again I did not think much about it.
That is until I start talking to new people at college. Everyone had a story about what their parents (or even grandparents) did in college, how they still talk to their college buddies, and sometimes even their parents being in graduate school! What?! That can’t be possible. College is for us… not our parents or grandparents. I quickly learned that my reality was not the norm compared to my new peers. To be honest, it was not an easy adjustment to make. It can be isolating to move to college for any student. I was already hundreds of miles away from my family and everything I had ever known, and now I felt I had a significant difference separating me from my new friends and peers.
Everyone had a story about what their parents (or even grandparents) did in college, how they still talk to their college buddies, and sometimes even their parents being in graduate school! What?! That can’t be possible.
None of my friends or peers did anything wrong or tried to make me feel different, but it was an inevitable result of our experiences. It is difficult to explain to someone that is not first-gen how difficult it can be to navigate college. It seemed like I was missing a community here at Drake.
In my second semester, I applied for a scholarship to attend an online conference for first generation students. I was lucky enough to win this scholarship and learn a lot about how to navigate school and my career as a first gen student. After the conference, the Drake students that attended got together to discuss it. We concluded that Drake needed a student organization for people like us. With the advice of the Director of New Student and Family Programs, we got to work on creating that organization.
Now, I am proud to be the President of Drake First-generation Bulldogs. I have found a wonderful community with this student organization. We have a safe space to talk about our issues, ask questions, and lean on each other to thrive in college. I hope the student organization will go on after I graduate and continue to support every student who feels the isolation I did.
What’s next
The success of Drake First-generation Bulldogs demonstrates the power of student-led initiatives and the importance of community support for first-generation college students. We look forward to seeing all the amazing work they will do in the future.
