With around 30 percent of SUNY Oswego students the first in their families to attend college, a number of initiatives and efforts are coming together to support this population.
A FirstLEAP committee -- comprised of many faculty and staff who were first-generation students -- and the development of a First Generation Club are among those joining forces for a variety of services and programs, including a First-Gen Social on April 11 in Penfield Library.
Ellen Argueta, a wellness management student in the university's Honors Program, is the student group's e-board secretary and is working this passion into her academic pursuits as well.
"I am a first gen student, and as I got into starting my honors thesis, I decided to do it on first-gen students and sort of see what resources the school has for them and what new things we can introduce," Argueta said at the First-Gen Social. "So I got connected with the FirstLEAP committee, the one that put together this event today. And it's basically an effort by a lot of first-gen faculty and staff to create a space for students to feel represented, especially first-gen students."
The committee helped with the creation and support of the First Generation Club to provide resources and a sense of community.
"A lot of being a first gen is not understanding the culture of academia," Argueta explained. "So when you come into college, there's a lot of things that, people that might have prior knowledge with college understand, and it can cause first-gen students to feel out of place, to feel misrepresented, and to feel very, lonely in the process."
But there is strength in numbers, whether in first-gen faculty and staff -- even if they aren't part of the committee but still want to help -- and among the students themselves.
"A lot of the effort that is currently being put into place is to make sure that first-gen students have the support that they need to be successful, whether it be academically or socially or just emotionally, just as people," Argueta said.
The effort includes letting first-generation students know that just because they don't know certain aspects about college, that shouldn't prevent them from surviving and thriving at SUNY Oswego.
"And there are people here to help you," Argueta noted. "There are people here to support you. And even though you might feel alone, you're surrounded by so many other first-gen students and staff and faculty that want to make you feel supported."
For more information, check out the First Generation Club on LakerLife.