University of Texas at San Antonio's First-Generation College Celebration
November 8
2019 First-Generation College Celebration
The March 2019 First-Gen Fest week at UTSA featured a schedule of events with:
- First-Gen Festival and Resource Fair,
- First-Gen Creative Activity & Research Symposium,
- First-Gen Platica,
- First-Gen Lecture Series, and
- First-Gen Institute for faculty and staff.
Here is a recap pod cast.
On November 8, 2019 UTSA will participate in their third observance of the National First-Generation College Celebration. The First-Generation & Transfer Student Center will host a celebration event with music, food, first-gen pride swag and first-generation success testimonials from faculty, students, staff and alumni. Additionally, UTSA is promoting a campus wide social media campaign where first-generation faculty, staff, students, and alumni are encouraged celebrate first-gen pride on social media to highlight the strengths and many assets of the UTSA first-generation community by sharing their success stories using the #FirstGenUTSA #FirstGenOrgullo and #CelebrateFirstGen hashtags.
2018 First-Generation College Celebration
UTSA held their second First-Gen Fest celebration in April of 2018 with a week dedicated to promoting first-gen community connections and social networks, sharing first-gen pride and celebrating the unique first-generation Roadrunner HSI experience. The 2018 UTSA First-Gen Fest celebration included programs designed to elevate the first-gen identity, celebrate first-generation assets, and build campus-wide understanding and capacity to serve and support first-generation students and their familias through:
- First-Gen Poetry Slam,
- First-Gen festival and resource fair,
- First-Gen Institute for faculty and staff, and
- First-Gen Familia Day / Dia de la Familia.
Fall 2018 UTSA kicked off the first day of classes with a First-Generation Faculty t-shirt campaign and on November 8, 2018 hosted the university’s second observance of the National First-Generation College Celebration through an event that included resource tables, music, food and first-generation pride swag. Once again, a broad cross-section of the Roadrunner community came together to participate in the celebration both at the campus event and though widespread engagement in the #FirstGenUTSA #CelebrateFirstGen and #FirstGenOrgullo social media campaigns.
Wear The T-Shirt: UTSA First Gen Faculty T-Shirt from Video Production Group at UTSA on Vimeo.
The University of Texas at San Antonio held their inaugural First-Gen Fest on April 4, 2017 with the goal of promoting an assets-based community narrative that intentionally validates and celebrates the first-generation Roadrunner identity. The event included a resource fair with music, food, first-gen pride swag and opportunities to elevate the visibility of the UTSA first-gen community and celebrate the unique Roadrunner first-generation journey. Staff, faculty, students and administrators from across the university worked through the UTSA First-Gen Council to successfully plan this event leveraging resources developed during the Fall 2016 semester such first-gen faculty coach testimonial videos and the First to Go and Graduate program recruitment campaign.
2017 First-Generation College Celebration
On November 8, 2017 UTSA rallied their large population of first-generation faculty, staff and students for the first National First-Generation College Celebration through a community celebration event with music, food and more first-gen pride swag. An important focus of their first National First-Generation College Celebration day was broad campus engagement with social media through an intentional assets-based first-gen pride campaign of student success stories, first-generation pride t-shirts, faculty and staff door plaques, and other visible first-gen pride swag. By that Fall 2017 semester, a strong community of first-generation champions was established and active at UTSA through the UTSA First-Gen Council, the First-Gen faculty and staff door plaque initiative, the First-generation registered student organization and the PIVOT First to Go and Graduate program.
Be sure to follow them on Twitter: @UTSA and @UTSAFirstGen; #FirstGenUTSA.