MCC is Glad You're Here!

At McHenry County College, we are highly dedicated to the success of our students. We understand that our students sometimes experience challenges and barriers throughout their educational journey, however as an institution we are dedicated to helping students through any circumstance. We have a high population of first-generation students that come with their own unique intersectional identities. MCC praises these students for having the courage to take their first step into higher education, something that has not been achieved within their family before. College alone is difficult, first-generation students feel an additional stress of the unknown. It is our job to provide support, resources, and encouragement during stressful times throughout the semester to best serve our students to feel equipped during their time at MCC.

This year, our First-Generation College Celebration was held on November 7, 2019, we had an attendance of 60 students. MCC first-generation staff and faculty showed their support as allies during the event. During the lunch, faculty and staff had the opportunity to mingle with students and hear each other’s stories as first-generation students. We featured a 10-minute video that highlighted five current MCC students. These students shared their own story about challenges and barriers they had before MCC, support MCC has provided for them during their time here, what first-generation means to them, and where they see themselves after MCC.

The video had a large emotional impact faculty, staff and students as it brought forward their memories and a sense of universality. Thereafter, we had five guest panelists speak to their experiences as first-generation students. The panelist spoke about familial/peer support, motivation, mentorship, and building a sense of community. We completed our event with three $75 gift card raffles for the MCC bookstore for students only, and a “First Generation Celebration Cake” to celebrate current MCC students, MCC staff and faculty, and members from the McHenry County community.

As I mentioned previously, being the first person in the family to attend college can be challenging, but our MCC first-generation students are resilient, and they carry a sense of pride to give back to their family. We honor our students who are dedicated to continue their education with MCC, and we strive to be their ‘home away from home’, so that students can feel comfortable asking for help when needed, but to also celebrate their successes because successes happen every single day!

We want to thank the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Center for providing us a grant to host our second First-Generation College Celebration, and promoting the importance and honoring first-generation students across the country!