Therefore, “Counselors can’t prepare high school seniors for the academic, social, and personal challenges associated with transitioning to college.” (Harke para 6) This issue has been notice and many colleges are trying to help these first-year students by getting them to “set more realistic expectations,” (Harke Para 7) but since these programs takes place on campus it’s already too…
It would be the greatest honor to be a TRIO SSS transfer mentor for Wenatchee Valley College students. I am interested in being a transfer mentor because as a first-generation college student I understand that being a first-generation student of color comes with barriers, but also gives me a unique and valuable perspective with which to bring to higher education. My parents only have an elementary education and have no understanding of the U.S educational system and as the middle child of five siblings, I understand the responsibilities and pressures youth in these populations have with shouldering the burden to accessing and disseminating information to their entire family. Additionally, I understand the cultural challenges some students of color may face as many traditional households discourage pursuing…
The Orioles are well known for their complete and utter disinterest in using their international signing bonus pool to sign prospects from Central and South America. Baseball America claims that the Orioles spent the least of all teams in 2013 (http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/2013-international-spending-by-team/) and second lowest in 2014 (http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/2014-international-spending-team/). Orioles’ fans are concerned by this because about one-sixth of all top 100 prospects from 2010-2015 fell into this category and one would think that not using their bonus pool to the fullest would hurt their efforts. This begs the question of how the most expensive, and therefore highest ranked Central and South…
Her research concerning climate has begun a revolution for colleges to begin to take underrepresented students into consideration, starting with the mission statement to curriculum changes. Due to the increase in underrepresented students on college campuses, including first generation students and minority students, her focus has been to show that improvement and development in colleges is crucial for student success (Hurtado & Ponjuan, 2005). Student success needs to have a shift since the demographic makeup of college students has shifted. Development from within the college is important. Faculty members’ and professors’ exposure to diversity is a necessity for the development of college campuses as well.…
I organized collaborations outside the scheduled meeting times to fine tune colors and page layout. By relying on and helping others in the group, we filled the yearbook. Since Diversity Interns help coordinate many events, I plan to bring my ability to build relationships, communicate, and integrate different perspectives in order to best assist the prospective Amherst students and the Admissions…
Because my mind was already so set on this plan, it felt as though my options at this event were fairly limited. I saw no point in visiting the booths belonging to schools that were not on my “to-do list”. However, boredom and curiosity drew me to consider possibilities I had previously neglected—and now, though I have become more uncertain of what exactly will be the plot for the next decade or so, I can safely say that the future looks much brighter than it had before. In keeping with the decisions I had already made, I immediately looked for LSU’s and Northshore’s…
Freshmen are terrible. But, for the past two years, I along with 11 other students, having been trying to change the way freshmen act in high school. Never did we realize that we would have such an impact on these kids, like we did. When i was asked to become a mentor for The Panther Project, i had no clue what i would be doing, but all i knew is that it would look great on college applications.…
Whether it was taking time out of my day to attend the first general body meeting of debate team or filling out the application for National Society of Collegiate Scholars, I began my success by putting my foot out into the unknown without fully expecting what I was going to get out of it. Having the adventurous mind to try out new things has opened my mind greatly to leadership opportunities, service, scholarship, and social justice. Topics and initiatives that I would have never thought to be conversing about or partaking in are now major parts of my everyday life. Through NSCS and every other organization or club I’m a part of, I have become a more active, accommodating, and out spoken person. To a first generation college student, obtaining success in college can often seem like a daunting task and many might shrivel in fear of the expectations.…
The community we chose was the youth population. Furthermore, we as a group felt that the youth are often the most affected by the problems in the world. So we decided to find and serve an agency that serves low-income families and first generation college students. The problem we decided to tackle was first generation college students. Getting ready to attend college is a very stressful stage in a young person’s life.…
“The supreme law of the land!” A middle aged woman from Burma shouts at me excitedly as I stand in the front of the classroom. “Team one officially takes the lead. You better pick up the pace team two,” I jokingly reply back as I make a tally mark on the whiteboard.…
Student engagement is a key component to a well-rounded college experience. Chen, Ingram and Davis argue that “social engagement simply captures a one-sided perspective of the collegiate experience while higher education is a two-tier experience that also include an academic component, the social gains receive outside the classrooms are as equally important as academic advancements” (p. 6). For African American/ Black students the type of institution they select to attend determines their level of social engagement at the institution. The types of experiences available to college students are influenced by student affairs administrators and organizations of higher rank within the institution (Berger 2000; , Bean, 1983; Berger & Braxton,…
It is that time of the year where thousands of students are in their process of applying for colleges. But of course, many of these students will be applying to one of the top schools in this country, the University of Wisconsin- Madison. These students are from different areas of the country and also the world. In the fall of 2015, 29,580 of undergraduate students were enrolled at UW Madison (UW Madison Fact Sheet 15-16). As much as this school wants to express diversity on this campus, there is a group of students that are still in the shadows: first-generation college students.…
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, diversity is the condition of having or being of different elements. Many times the word diversity is used in terms of people and cultures. This is the case because no two people are alike, and this holds true for cultures as well. Diversity of an individual encompasses three different areas: invariability, variability, and influence. While invariable characteristics of a person tend to remain the same over one’s lifetime, variable characteristics and environmental influences vary throughout a lifetime.…
Empty stomach, empty mind. Like a brimming bowl of Chipotle, a University of Chicago education is customizable, satisfying, and hearty. The familiar amalgamation of rice and beans, meat and vegetables is the essence of any Chipotle product. This delicious bowl, however, is flexible: whether it be mild, medium, or hot, every single bowl will always contain a type of salsa. These broad categories (meat, beans, salsa) diverge into a variety of options (carnitas, sofritas, pinto, black), providing many paths to one destination.…
I don’t have any concerns in the social or academic aspect about moving from my pre-college identity to Framingham State. In High school I was always involved with extracurricular activities such as Student Council, School Council, Community Service Club, and Step Up to excellence while still maintaining a part time job. Similar to high school I want to get involved in my community at Framingham State University such as participating in the Afro-Caribbean Dance, Alternative Spring Break, and Aspiring Health Professionals Club while still working part time job. In the summer of 2015 upon entering my junior year I was given the wonderful opportunity to spend the Summer at Brown University. Where I participated in the program of “Watching…