New association emerges to support first-generation students

A student organization aimed at supporting and connecting first-generation students is launching on campus for the first time. Being ‘first-generation’ means that neither of your parents graduated from a four-year college or university. 

“The journey for everyone is so different. But we can say, ‘Okay, some of our previous experiences seem similar. And most of the emotions or the struggles that we have are similar as well,” Flor Vega, president of this new organization, said. “Somebody will probably understand what you're feeling, what you are going through.”

Vega is a graduate student currently studying for a master’s degree in public administration “Being president of the First-Generation Students Association is an enormous opportunity to create a sense of community and belonging among my fellow first-gens,” she said. “I want them to find that spark that will move them forward into their journey.”

The idea for the association emerged last semester when Vega received an email from the graduate school inviting her and other first-generation students to meet. 

Vega quickly realized that it was from MSU’s First Generation Committee — a university-wide group that aims to support and provide resources for first-generation students on campus. One of the goals of these meetings was to connect with other first-generation students, she said.

During these meetings; Vega, who came to Montana from Lima, Peru in 2020, was inspired to initiate the association. The First Generation Committee encouraged the students to begin organizing themselves, which Vega said was something she didn’t even realize was a possibility.

“My eyes were just so open and bright and I was really excited,” she said.

First-gen student Katrina Lyon, a Ph.D. candidate in microbiology and immunology and member of the First-Generation Students Association, was one of the founders of MSU’s First Generation Committee. She said her idea was to create a support system for first-gen graduate students. 

“It is assumed that once you are a grad student, the playing field is level. It isn’t, and there is very little support for our specific needs,” she said.

“I really felt like I fell through the cracks. When you are working every hour you aren’t in school, you can’t be at office hours building relationships with your professors,” Lyon said. “I felt like no one cared if I failed, so I had to be completely self-motivated.”

To that end, the new association is aiming to start up a mentoring program for younger first-gens on campus. 

The ambassadors, which could be former first-gen faculty or older students, will remind younger first-gen students that they are not alone when they first arrive on campus. These ambassadors will fill multiple roles; including advising on the first-gen experience, helping them learn to navigate the university experience, and most importantly to create a sense of belonging on campus, according to Vega. 

“Ambassadors will provide significant insights from their own experiences. Also, because they're now even more familiar with MSU processes and services, as current faculty or staff, their guidance on college life is even more impactful,” she said. “They will represent a more optimistic vision of success. They will help us deliver the idea of "If I could do it, so can you!" When having people who believe in you, you become more resourceful and open to opportunities.”

“Sometimes that is seen as really superficial, but in reality, it's really powerful. Not only to tell this person that [they are] worthy, but just to get them to understand their own capabilities and their own strengths,” Vega said.

It can be deeply intimidating to be a first-generation student. “For example, most international students are the very first ones who came out of the country to study abroad, and most of them are by themselves here. So with no relatives, it's really, really daunting,” she said. This was Vega’s experience when she first came to the United States. 

“Some of my fellow first-gens have said that imposter syndrome is really a big thing for them,” she said. Some first-gen students feel “like they don't deserve to be here. Like they don't deserve it, or that they are not able to make it.”

Lyon was one of those students who faced this struggle. “Imposter syndrome drives me to overcompensate in a lot of ways, which makes me appear successful. I am proud of having gotten this far, and I am already working to create opportunities for other students who may have fallen through the cracks as well,” she said.

“We would like to make every first-generation student's life easier. Maybe we won't have all the answers, but at least we'll try to redirect them to the right people,” Vega said.

Other goals for the First-Generation Students Association include advocating for possible resources available to first-gen students, like food and clothing drives as well as professional development assistance and partnerships with other student associations on campus.

Vega explained that part of the development of the association will be collaborating with other clubs and its own parent committee. “We are actually working right now with the First Generation Committee. I attend those meetings so that we are not working [on events] separately.” 

MSU’s First Generation Committee is a collaborative effort university-wide through TRIO Student Support Services and GearUp, and has members from ASMSU and the Graduate College among many other areas across campus, said the Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Craig Ogilvie.  who also serves as a member of the committee. Additionally, besides supporting the new student association, the First Generation Committee has goals of its own.

“The big thing is to see if we can become nationally certified as a university that has good processes for first-gen students. There is a demarcation — the First-Gen Forward Designation. I think that’s going to be the next big step,” Ogilvie said.

The First-Gen Forward Designation is bestowed upon universities through the National Center for First-Generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA — National Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education — and The Suder Foundation, a national philanthropic organization. 

However, collaboration won’t stop with the committee. “Another thing that we can do is volunteer for different cultural events. Right now we are trying to work jointly with the [Asian Students Interracial Association],” Vega said. “That organization is going to have a bigger event in March. That's another way to have our presence out there.”

And it’s not just first-gens that are welcome in the association. “Currently, we do have members with the ‘ally’ and ‘ambassador’ roles in our community, which makes us feel even more hopeful about our future,” Vega said. 

“The network is small for now, but it's going to keep increasing,” she said.

For example, the association has already held several events to bring awareness to its newfound presence on campus. This included hosting a table at the Spring Involvement Fair on Feb. 1, holding their first morning meeting — complete with pastries and coffee — on Feb. 10 in the American Indian Hall, and planning more meetings every other Friday going forward.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is supporting this new association with guidance and resources — including some initial funding, Vega explained. The Office of Student Engagement also presented some funding to the group as well.

“Because we are so brand new, we are still going to get to know everything like every process that we need to cover. I feel really thankful to have my co-officers, they are really passionate,” she said.

Additionally, even though starting a brand-new organization can be challenging, Vega isn’t giving up hope. “When you feel really empowered and committed to the cause, that makes everything more bearable. In sum, we are all high-spirited,” she said.

If you are interested in joining the First-Generation Students Association as a first-gen student, ally or ambassador, feel free to attend meetings every other Friday beginning Feb. 24 in American Indian Hall 112.

“We're just setting the foundations of something that we would love to see thrive,” Vega said. “I would love to see [all] first-generation students just thriving. That’s the goal.”

To join the association’s CatsConnect page to receive updates about future events, visit: https://montanastate.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/firstgen-students-association

Additionally, to check the association’s calendar of meetings and other updates, follow @msu_firstgenerationstudents on Instagram.