Ithaca Firsts Builds Community of First Generation Students on Campus
When Quinten Hernandez was a senior in high school, he thought his post graduation plans were set. While other students were starting their extensive college application processes, Hernandez was enrolled in technical school to become an auto mechanic.
“When I graduated high school the thought of committing to a four year institution kind of intimidated me,” Hernandez said. “It wasn’t until the end of my summer after senior year that I realized that I had a larger passionate for TV.”
Hernandez identifies as a first generation student, meaning that he is the first in his family to attend a traditional four year college or university. He is currently a sophomore Television-Radio Major at Ithaca College. He explained that although his parents never attended college, he did not feel like there was pressure on him to follow a certain educational route.
“There was no expectation for me to go to college but it was something I wanted to be able to do to enhance my future opportunities to say I was able to attend a four year school,” he said.
But before pursuing his four year degree at IC, he attended his local community college for his first year out of high school. At community college, Hernandez recognized he could be successful at a four year institution and the resources he has on campus have also helped with this transition.
Some of these resources include those available through IC’s First Year Experience (FYE). The FYE is “a comprehensive set of academic and educational programs that assist new students in making a successful transition to the vibrant and diverse Ithaca College residential community of learners,” according to the school’s website.
This past spring the Office of New Student and Transition programs split from the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs, making FYE more diverse and extensive in its program offerings. Since the split, FYE has implemented Ithaca Firsts, a program that creates a sense of community among first generation students on campus and offers things like leadership seminars and the ability to move in a few days before campuswide move-in day.
Leticia Lynch, intern for the Office of New Student and Transition programs and IC senior, became involved with these FYE programs because she was curious about how first generation students were being engaged during orientation. This curiosity stemmed from her own experience as a first generation student, and her background as an orientation leader.
“I thought about how that could be a very overwhelming experience for students and their families especially because this can be their first interaction with a higher education institution,” Lynch said. “I was really interested in seeing the different ways that this office communicates with students before, during, and after orientation.”
First generation students may feel alone during different parts of their college process, a sentiment that Hernandez felt when looking at four year schools to apply to.
“Getting here was quite a process, my parents weren’t able to relate to what I was going through and what I needed to get to where I am. It was kind of something that I had to do on my own and take that responsibility on myself,” he said. “There were a lot of things that I felt like I had to go through alone instead of having my parents to contribute to.”
Things like filling out federal student aid forms and knowing what specific things to look for when touring a campus were challenges for Hernandez since his parents didn’t go through the college search. Lynch also expressed the feeling of being alone during certain parts of the college process, especially when registering for classes during orientation.
“I felt like I was a step behind and that I didn’t know things that everyone else already knew about when it comes to how to navigate higher education,” she said.
With an estimated 848 first generation students recognized on campus, Ithaca Firsts gives them the opportunity to realize they are not alone. And although first generation students face their own unique challenges on a daily basis, Hernandez thinks being a first generation is an empowering identity.
“Being first gen is such a big opportunity to show younger generations that maybe are also in the same boat that you can do this,” he said. “I think a very high motivating factor is the idea that I’m a trailblazer, and I’m establishing this new way of living for my future family.”