A Walk in My Shoes…First Generation Students Debbie Mercer Dean, College of Education, Kansas State University Diane Schoor Suder Foundation Charlie L. Nutt Executive Director NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising

First Generation Students First Generation Students are the first in their family to attend or to attend and complete a degree from an institution of higher education. They may be traditional aged students or adult learners. Even as college attendance has become the norm. the percentage of first generation students continue to grow.

First-Generation Other Characteristics Other Characteristics Income Levels Other Characteristics First-Generation Other Characteristics Look at student population and classify by traditional categories: Race/Ethnicity Income or socioeconomic levels Urban/rural background Other considerations FIRST –GENERATION STATUS REPRESENTS A HORIZONTAL SLICE ACROSS ALL THE CATEGORIES Race/Ethnicity Urban/Rural

Lack social and cultural capital regarding higher education norms Commonality Lack social and cultural capital regarding higher education norms Social capital – networks and relationships – the “who you know” – in the case of first-gen: family , counselors with knowledge of the college going process Cultural capital – “what you know” – in the case of first-gen: means to get information about college and how it works

Challenges Limited access to information about college experience Lack of knowledge about navigating college environment Imposter syndrome Work/life balance Some conflicts regarding cultural expectations The common characteristic that first-gen students from any of those backgrounds may not have access to information or people who can help them navigate the admissions process campus systems and services How to maximize their college experience – internships, study abroad, clubs/groups – go to school and study May feel they don’t belong either because of lack of confidence in their abilities or different socio-economic background than other students Balancing going to school with working to pay for school or family obligations particularly if they were the “translator” for family who don’t speak dominant language Conflicted re: responsibility to family versus self

Potential Positive impact of non-cognitive or psychosocial factors – resilience, grit, motivation Change generational patterns Population that can positively impact institutional performance Ting, A Longitudinal Study of Non-Cognitive Variables in Predicting Academic Success of First-Generation College Students, College and University, v78 n4 p27-31 Spring 2003. Tremendous potential due to their motivation to succeed May have overcome challenges to get to college and can persevere Campus level – addressing the needs of these students can positively affect institutional performance Change generational patterns by their success in college

www.firstscholars.org First Scholars – holistic support Financial (scholarship) + curricular and co-curricular programming to create a sense of belonging and bridge those information gaps – level the playing field so Scholars operate with the same information as those with a college-going background www.firstscholars.org

Holistic Approach Program Coordinator + $5,000 annual scholarship Living Learning Community 6. Mentoring 7. Campus Engagement Individualized Guidance 8. Social Engagement Success Planning 9. Pay It Forward Annual Cohort Retreats 10. Significance Community Service Projects Cohort Classes and Workshops Employ the following strategies

Student Survey Survey our Scholars annually to learn which supports are valuable to them or not

Most Valuable Components Coordinator 1:1 Meetings Retreats/Semester Kick Off Events Living Learning Community for First Year Students Most valuable

First Scholars Network Consistency across our network of campus partners In addition to First Scholars, they provide an array of programs for first-gen students Turn over to Dean Debbie Mercer to learn more about how Kansas State has approached increasing awareness of first-gen on their campus

KSU First Scholars Program History Program Development Outcomes Successes Future Goals Started in 2013 – planning year Fall 2014 – initial cohort of 21 students Academic success – after spring 2017 40% of students attained a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher 62% of students attained a 3.00 cumulative GPA or higher Expected retention rates: Senior year: 81% Junior year: 85% Sophomore year: 95% Forged partnership with Fort Riley Army – PTSD awareness on campus University’s Extraordinary Students Award – 6 undergrads/2 grad students 2 First Scholars were honored this year Goal – expand

Kansas State University K-State College of Education Documentary A Walk in My Shoes…First Generation College Students

A Walk In My Shoes In the third installment of the College of Education’s documentary series "A Walk in My Shoes," we decided to find out what would it be like to be the first in your family to navigate your way through the college experience. Over six months, we traveled to the hometowns of five current K-State students and three alumni who are not only the first in their families to graduate from college but, are also majoring in education. Their life stories of overcoming challenges, realizing their potential, and giving back are not only inspiring, but instill hope and provide examples for all students.

A Walk In My Shoes http://coe.k-state.edu/walk-in-my-shoes/first- generation/index.html This page contains: Full written transcript of the documentary Complete documentary Seven individual stories Advice from the participants

Kansas State University ebook – Being the “First:” A narrative inquiry into the funds of knowledge of first generation college students in teacher education This book is free to download and contains a research base, historical context, challenges, data collection methods, each participants story, findings, implications and conclusions.

One First-Generation Story Jessica’s Story http://coe.ksu.edu/walk-in-my-shoes/first- generation/index.html

Identified Challenges Parental Education Levels Family History (illiteracy, alcoholism) System Navigation (expect you to figure it all out) Counselor Support Parental Expectations Big differences are often the little things

Overcoming Challenges Resiliency Strength Determination Family/Parental Support School Personnel Support