Prince George’s Community College’s First-Generation College Celebration

Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) was delighted to receive grant funding from the Center for First-generation Student Success and the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) to support activities in celebration of First Gen Day this year. PGCC welcomed a new President, Dr. Falecia D. Williams, in August of this year. She is a first-generation college student and has spoken often of how her experiences as a first-generation college student have informed her work and leadership. While the funds allowed us to provide students with academic, community service, and socio-emotional support, this experience also facilitated increased collaboration and support across our institution.

Student voice was the focus of this year’s celebration, and we invited students to share how they have persevered through various obstacles and challenges, including the shift to virtual learning platforms amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Our students posted videos, engaged on social media, and participated in events throughout the week. This year’s celebration included several in-person and virtual events, while remaining mindful and vigilant in keeping our students, faculty, staff, and community members safe during this pandemic. 

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Our event calendar this year included:

• A TRIO First Gen campaign developed in partnership with the institution’s Office of Marketing and Communication, which included;

• A press release that highlighted the institution’s ongoing support and commitment to serving and graduating first-generation students;

• A social media campaign featuring student “selfie” videos that were featured on PGCC’s social media platforms starting on November 8th, 2020;

• A virtual, live-streamed event with the support of PGCC TV that amplified the voices of first-generation students and the institutional support for those students at PGCC.

• A workshop titled, “the Empowered Mindset,” provided in partnership with the Office of Special Scholarships and Collegiate Empowerment. The workshop highlighted the importance of mental health and well-being, especially among first-generation students who might lack supports available to continuing generation college students;

• A food distribution community service event, in partnership with PGCC Cares. PGCC Cares is a project that addresses and supports the non-academic needs of students, including counseling services, a food pantry, a clothing closet, and a referral to community support for students dealing with homelessness, food insecurity, or transportation issues.

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The videos filmed by PGCC students, faculty, and staff that were posted to social media and featured during our virtual First Gen Day Live celebration are available here.

The press release by our communications teams also included  several interviews by our students, faculty, and staff. You can view a brief interview with Korey Dean, program manager for the TRIO Upward Bound program, during local press coverage of the event here.

The social media campaign allowed a diverse coalition of programs, offices, and departments to invite first-generation college students, faculty or staff who met the criteria to film “selfie videos.” The videos allowed individuals to respond to one of several prompts or to simply share an unscripted introduction that included their name, major, and what it means to them to be first-generation. “The Empowered Mindset” was provided in partnership with PGCC’s Special Scholarships program, which generally serves a significant number of first-generation college students each year. The workshop allowed us to integrate our Counseling Department with the presentation by Collegiate Empowerment, providing students both a high-level and locally focused discussion about mental health and overall well-being. Participants had the opportunity to meet as a part of a large group, but they could also speak individually and confidentially with counselors who participated. Our final event, a food distribution event in partnership with PGCC Cares, provided our first-generation students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to serve others by distributing boxes of pre-packaged goods to those in need. We provided over 75 boxes or bags of grocery items to students, community members, and, perhaps most significantly, a number of veterans as the event was held the same week as we celebrated Veteran’s Day.

While the funds allowed us to provide students with academic, community service, and socio-emotional support, this experience also facilitated increased collaboration and support across our institution.

The grant funds allowed us to provide small incentives for participating students and also allowed us to provide additional support and motivation to those students. Part of our grant funds helped us purchase and provide electronic copies of the late Congressman John Lewis’ 2020 book with Jon Meacham, His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope as encouragement during this difficult period. Student participants were also provided with T-shirts and masks featuring the First Gen Day branding to promote this important celebration.

While this was a truly institutional celebration, I applaud my colleagues in TRIO, specifically, Korey Dean, project director for TRIO Upward Bound (UB), and Ms. Beatrice Turpin-Peek, project director for TRIO Veterans Upward Bound (VUB), for their ongoing and continued support. I would also like to recognize both Dr. Scheherazade Forman and Cathy Camp, dean of student success & engagement and interim vice president for student affairs, respectively, for their leadership in making this an institutional celebration. Finally, I would like to recognize our colleagues across campus in various roles within different programs and offices who supported our efforts. This included nominating first-generation students to participate in events, disseminating information about the First Gen Day celebrations and helping to create a supportive, diverse learning environment focused on student success at PGCC.

We are thrilled to be included in this year’s cohort of grant recipients from the Center for First-generation Student Success, NASPA, and the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE). The leadership at PGCC understands the challenges facing first-generation college students and appreciates the unique opportunity to serve those students as they pursue postsecondary degrees and certificates.

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For more information on Prince George’s Community College’s approach, please visit their website here.