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Page 22 text:
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Life as a First-Gen Student at Temple From the disadvantages and pressures, first-gen students speak out on what it is like to be the first in theirar families to attend college by Gail Vivar photography by Temple First eing accepted into college is a dream but for first-generation students, it’s also a terrifying and challenging journey to experience on your own. According to a 2010 study by the Department of Education, an estimated 50 percent of the college population is comprised of people whose parents never attended college. As a first-generation student myself, the challenges I’ve faced in my four years at Temple has taught me to be more independent. There were times I felt alone because my family did not understand what I was experiencing at college. What most people do not know about us first-gen students is the difficulty of having to navigate yourself in a space where your family has no idea how to help or simply filling out a FAFSA form. Being a first-gen student and a minority, I felt as I had no room to make error because I had to be the one who succeeded no matter what, even if it meant my mental health had to deteriorate. However, a new club was formed to support first-gen students and it is something great for students like myself who were always searching for something like this. Their mission is to support first-generation college students at Temple University to achieve the academic and professional aspirations that motivates them to be the first in their families to attend college. Many first-gen students face disadvantages and are pressured to keep up with the competition in the community—especially transitioning from a student into a professional upon graduation. Eileen Zhang and Amy Zheng, both junior health information management majors, founded Temple First. They said, “It’s important to have a supportive community for first-generation students to help them excel both academically and professionally. First-gen students don’t have as many resources that other students may have, such as having parents that went to college as a guide through their academic journey. Temple First helps to the open doors for students so that they can achieve a successful college career as well as paving their way towards their professional careers.” e compared to other students who cc have family members or people thefc know to rely on. The organization tl emphasizes the fact that most first- n gen students do not know where to a: begin, what to expect, or how to us the resources on campus to guide Z them because they aren’t confident I enough to ask for help. h g One of theiil members, p Jennifer t Luu, is s pleased to r have found; a student orga i nization tha: i understands 1 her struggle firsthand. i 1 “Joining thi? 1 organ iza- ,. tion, I didn't3 completely understand what I was going to expect. Temple First along with the Collective Success Network helped me to learn effective ways to tackle my goals and career aspiration,” Luu said. “I originally thought this organization was going to show me how the professional world operates, but I instead I ended up learning more about myself and how to build myself up into a capable and successful woman.” Temple First is the Temple chapter of the Collective Success Network. Temple First understands being a first-gen student is very difficult A future goal of this student organ ization is to help students explore the different career paths, connect them 18
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that reflects the unique identity of each organization. The ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., for example, set the event off with a clean step routine including their signals ture “Oo- Oop call. The brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. stole the show with a seductive performance that ended in a shower of rose petals onstage. t i Every active organization on campus brought old and new members out in numbers to ensure its chapter was properly represented. Even Nuri Bracey, the only active mem- ber on campus of the Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., made sure his organization’s presence was felt at the event by inviting a local chapter from Lincoln University to show what it means to be a Sigma man. However, Meet the Greeks is far from a competition. “This event is so important to students on campus because it shows unity, Dante Moreno, president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and NPHC, said. “We’re all different organizations but it shows that we’re one council that supports each other.” Every member has his or her own personal reasons for pledging his or her respective sorority or fraternity. “I joined my sorority because I really felt connected to the missions and goals of the organization, Lauren Smith, president of the Epsilon Delta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, said. “I’ve had a lot of women who are Deltas involved in my life. I’ve seen the amazing work they’ve done in the community and they’ve really impacted me in a heavy way. 17
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with professional mentors, provide scholarships, and create academic rand professional development programs. They also hope to focus on expanding and strengthening their community to have more resources efor students. At the end of the day, they hope to provide the support and resources needed for students that ) aren’t sure how to utilize it. $ Zhang said, “As a first-gen student, 11 was lacking in many areas and had no mentor to look up to and guide me through college. With iiTemple First, I saw it as an opportunity to form this organization to build a community and support system for first-gen students. From my experience with Temple First . and the Collective Success Network, a it opened doors for me to improve i myself personally and professionally, s I developed relationships with stu- dents and professionals within the network who inspired me to be the best I could be and feel proud as a i; first-gen student.” 19
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