Erin SchneiderAssistant Dean for Student Serviceserinschneider@tamu.edu
Crystal VinalDirectorvinal@tamu.edu
As part of our mission to enrich the college experience of our first-generation students, the First-Generation Collective at the School of Public Health hosts a number of events throughout the year. The event that starts it all is the New Student Conference (NSC) during the summer. This is when we onboard our first-generation students and their family/guardians, discuss the major in detail, and answer any questions. We then close out the year with an outdoor social in the spring semester.
It is our goal to host events that enrich the experience of our first-generation students by providing them the opportunity to meet faculty and staff, learn about their program, and connect with the first-generation community at the School of Public Health. Though there may be more events throughout the year, below are our key events.
The School of Public Health offers a First-Generation Scholars program. This Hullabaloo U certified learning community, specific to Public Health Studies, serves first-time-in-college first-generation students. THRIVE is a two-semester, 1 credit hour each, graded course. The course includes the same instructor and Peer Mentor throughout the two semesters.
THRIVE covers a number of topics related to student success both inside and outside of the classroom as students transition into the college setting. Importantly, the course has a strong foundational basis of community building. Topics discussed can include: graduation planning, establishing and attaining goals, time-management, motivation, reflection, resilience, discovering and utilizing strengths, degree planners, major exploration, career exploration, and professional development (resume and cover letter building).
In addition to the various topics discussed in class, a number of speakers from across the university are brought in to share useful information with students. Past speakers have included the Money Education Center, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Health Services, and a number of Public Health Faculty.
“The honest truth is being a first-generation student is very petrifying at first. The amount of pressure on your back could literally break you in half. However, once over the mountain, the view is mesmerizing. Everything comes with time and sooner or later, you’ll learn to be proud of being a first-generation student. Every pebble you jump, will feel like you are jumping over a boulder. The network surrounding the first-generation community is mind-blowing, and feels like a family. My piece of advice to others would be to never stop trying. Everyone has that little voice inside their head that tells you to give up, but I promise you the reward at the end is so worth it.”
“I take pride in being a first-generation student and that I am paving the way for my younger cousins. My favorite part is being able to give advice to the younger generation of my family as I navigate my way through college and learn new things. I have learned that as a first-generation student I am not alone. There are several of my friends and people in different organizations who are the first in their family to attend college as well. Being able to learn from each other has been very important in finding resources and has eased the feelings of imposter syndrome because I know I am not alone. It is not easy, but I have learned to take it one step at a time. My biggest advice for others is to stay confident in their abilities and never let themselves believe that they don't belong here.”
“As a child of immigrants, education and its importance has always been in the forefront of my life, and from a young age, I learned the importance of working hard to be able to achieve my goals, such as being the first in my family to attend college. I am grateful to be able to inspire others like myself and show that it is possible with the support of family, friends, teachers, and others. Having a first-generation network allows me to connect with others like myself as well as people that I can gain support from throughout my academic journey, allowing me to navigate different aspects of college more smoothly and with less stress. And with that, having the Public Health First-Generation Scholars class dedicated to learning about resources and ways to improve the college experience has helped me learn about so much that I otherwise would not have known about. And with the other students having the same major, ambitions, and overall experience as me, having the class with other Public Health first-generation students makes me feel like I am a part of a family .”
"Coming to Texas A&M as a first-generation college student, the most important thing I learned my freshman year was asking and then accepting guidance from the professors, advisors, and peers around me. The wonderful part about Texas A&M is that there is always an Aggie or campus resource that can help with your path to success in college as a first-generation college student. As Henry Ford once said, “ ‘Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.’ ”
