1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

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

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

11. 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

12. 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

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

14. 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.

15. A Walk In My Shoes
generation/index.html
This page contains:
Full written transcript of the documentary
Complete documentary
Seven individual stories
Advice from the participants

16. 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.

17. One First-Generation Story
Jessica’s Story
generation/index.html

18. 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

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