By Kathryn Walters |
Senior Fatima Ruiz Villatoro’s challenges as a first-generation college student began before she even set foot on campus three years ago.
“It was very difficult, because I would be at home typing up my (college) essays or going to the library, but I couldn’t talk to my parents about it because it was so foreign to them,” she said. “So coming in, I was really confused.”
This school year, UP will work to combat this type of confusion for its students who are the first in their families to attend college. The University has obtained a grant through the AmeriCorps VISTA program that partially funds a year-long employee to work specifically with first-generation students, investigate the unique challenges they face and offer potential solutions.
Holly Sweeney, the AmeriCorps VISTA College Access and Success Specialist who will work with first-generation students, said her personal experiences as a first-generation student give her a good perspective on how to help these students.
“I’ve been in (their) shoes and I know it can be challenging if you don’t have the proper support,” she said. “It’s a tough world, sometimes.”
Much of Sweeney’s work will include creating a needs assessment, where she gathers information on UP first-generation students. From there, she will better understand what needs to be done to help them, from financial aid resources to tailoring academic advising to fit their needs.
“I think a lot of times, because you come from a family that didn’t go to school, you might think, ‘I can only become a teacher, a doctor or accountant.’ Just these very basic career paths, but really there are so many jobs out there,” she said.
The decision to pursue the grant came from a joint decision by Fr. Gerry Olinger, vice president for Student Affairs, Fr. Mark Poorman, executive vice president of the University, and Provost Thomas Greene.
Olinger said one of his main concerns about first-generation students is making sure they do not drop out because of financial or academic difficulties.
“When we invite someone to come to campus, we want them to be successful,” he said. “How do we best support our students so they can graduate from here?”
Jeromy Koffler, director of Student Activities, was part of a four-person committee who selected Sweeney for the job. He said Sweeney’s prior experience in a program geared at first-generation students while she was an undergraduate at Ohio University gave her an edge in the selection process.
“We saw that as a really strong advantage for her because she had experienced the program and had seen what did work and what didn’t work, and so she would be able to bring some of that experience and wisdom to the University,” he said.
Ruiz Villatoro said she would like to see Sweeney develop a more visible community of first-generation students so upperclassmen can mentor underclassmen.
“I would really like to see a community being established with those students that are (first-generation) because I feel we could be a support system for each other,” she said. “It’s definitely helpful for the freshmen coming in, to be a resource for them.”
Sweeney, who will be at UP for one year, said her ultimate goal for this year is to make sure she provides the University with enough momentum to continue to help first-generation students into the future.
“I would like to say that I completed all the activities planned out for me to accomplish during the year,” she said. “That I gave the University some good research to continue to grow and work with first-generation students.”
