First Generation College Student Celebration includes faculty/student panel, testimonials in the Academic Circle
Charisma Morgan was destined to become a lawyer. The first in her immediate family to go to college, Morgan came to Campbell University in 2021 to study pre-law and make her parents proud.
Only, she realized very quickly — during her first political science class — law didn’t ignite the passion she once thought it would. Yet she wasn’t sure about the process of changing a major so early in her college journey — one of the many challenges that come with being a first-generation college student who can’t lean on experience to make such important decisions.
“I didn’t know how to tell someone [this major wasn’t for me]; it was all I knew in high school,” Morgan said. “So I went to my advisor, who said, ‘I can’t tell you what to do, but I can point you to the resources that can.’”
That advisor, Kayla Clark — who was also a first-generation student — gave Morgan forms and tests to help her determine which career fields she was best suited for. Those results pointed toward social work or psychology — the course that resulted in the only C of her high school career. Despite her initial fear, she followed that path.
“Here I am in my senior year, an aspiring clinical psychologist who will be going to grad school,” she said. “And this is 100,000 percent what I’m supposed to be doing. And I thank the support of my advisor, because there’s pressure being a first-generation student who doesn’t want to waste their family’s time and their money. But I’m definitely doing what I love now.”
Morgan and Clark were part of a panel of current first-generation Campbell students and staff members who were also first in their family to attend college during the First Generation College Student Celebration held March 13 and organized by Residence Life and Housing, the Student Government Association, the Teaching Resource Center and other campus partners. In addition to the panel, the groups gathered in the Academic Circle and provided free food, trivia, prizes and other games to students.
Postered testimonials from first-generation Campbell students were displayed throughout the Academic Circle during the day — senior exercise science and kinesiology major Ivana Ramirez’s poster told the story of her struggle as an only child from Puerto Rico with an immense sense of responsibility entering college: “What others don’t realize is the uncertainty we face and how often we have to figure college life on our own,” it read. “We can also feel the pressure to not only achieve our goals, but to make our families proud. It can be overwhelming, but it helps build a unique sense of purpose.”
Mental health therapist Nathan Tutor earned his degree in psychology and a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and wrote that higher education provided an opportunity to elevate himself and earn pride in his accomplishment: “To be educated is a privilege and being the first person in my family to go to college, as well as achieve my master’s degree, means a lot to me. There was so much I didn’t really understand, like the process of financial aid and how to pay for things, and that caused a lot of stress, especially when no one in your family knows how to help. It was really difficult facing that learning curve.”
Topics like navigating financial aid, adapting to college life, making new friends and seeking help were discussed during the hour-long panel discussion. Multiple studies show first-generation college students tend to struggle more in college and have lower rates of retention in the first year and graduation after four years. Those who do graduate tend to make less than others four to 10 years after graduation.
According to Jennifer Seagraves, instructional pedagogy and curriculum materials librarian and facilitator of the panel, there are programs and groups at Campbell that offer support to all students, especially those considered first generation.
“First-generation students generally come from historically underrepresented backgrounds, are older than their peers, have dependents, come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and have intersectional identities,” Seagraves said. “At Campbell, we recognize and strive for creating belonging in our community, from every background and every experience. Your experiences matter and are valued in our classrooms, spaces and community.”
Seagraves, who is a first-generation American and was the first in her family to graduate from college, said she would have benefited greatly as a student had her school recognized students like her. In order to support first-generation students, she said, schools need mentors who “understand and care” and support for students to overcome financial, academic and cultural obstacles they face along the way.
She said she’s been pleased by the number of Campbell faculty and staff who have been engaged and passionate about their own roles as first-generation students and those who have volunteered to mentor.
“There were more faculty who wanted to participate in or attend the panel but had conflicts, so I hope they can utilize the online recording to hear other experiences and feel inspired to share their own,” she said.
One of the staff members who did participate was Wendy Welker, who works in institutional advancement for the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business. Welker said smaller private universities like Campbell are better equipped to guide a first-generation student through the rigors of college than many larger schools.
“I went to a larger university, but one of the things I find striking [at Campbell] is that I see our faculty make themselves available to students in good times and bad,” said Welker, who was a first-generation student in Ohio. “When they’re struggling, I hear professors ask each other how a student is doing in their class. I hear them talk about support. Had I had that in college, I think it would have changed my trajectory.”