Albany Tech to host First-Generation College Student celebration
Special Photo: ATC
From staff reports
ALBANY — For the second year, Albany Technical College will celebrate National First-Generation College Student Celebration Day on Wednesday by hosting a breakfast from 9-10 a.m. in the LEC Auditorium.
Nov. 8 was selected as the date for the annual event to honor the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Since 2017, institutions, corporations, and nonprofits nationwide have celebrated first-generation students, faculty, staff, and alumni and the important contributions they make within their communities. Led by Sens. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Roger Marshall, R-Kans., a bipartisan team of senators helped steer S. Res. 437 to passage, helping to solidify the importance of this day further.
According to the Center for First-Generation Student Success, a first-generation student is any student whose parent(s) did not complete a four-year degree. Organizations such as this realize that there are specific barriers that First-Generation students face that differ from those of a student whose parents completed college.
“As a first-generation student, I often felt lost and confused,” Lashea Dancer, Albany Tech’s director of student wellness and one of the organizers of the event, said. “I didn’t know anything about the college process and didn’t have anyone to ask. There were even times I felt as if I didn’t belong.
“We do not want any student at ATC to feel that way, and that is why we are celebrating and why we have created a First-Generation Mentoring Program to help our students navigate the college process.”
First-generation students, alumni, faculty/staff and potential students are invited to come out and listen to Develyn Watson, a math instructor and first-generation student, discuss some of the challenges she faced and ways to succeed as a first-gen student. Students also will meet the first-generation mentors and share this event with a parent/guardian. The first 30 students will receive a first-gen swag bag.
If anyone is interested in attending Albany Technical College as a first-generation student or is a current first-generation student and would like a mentor, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Dancer at [email protected] or (229) 430-3614. The Department of Education sponsors this event.
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