TRITON Magazine Winter 2018 | Page 10

CAMPUS

FIRST GEN SUCCESS

System-wide support for first-generation students

BY MICHELLE FRANKLIN AND ANTHONY KING
FUEL TO BE FIRST Campus rallied behind first-generation college students at a forum this fall where alumni , faculty and staff shared their First Gen stories .
FRANCES CONTRERAS WAS AN ACHIEVER when she attended high school in the ʼ90s , and was thrilled to receive multiple college acceptance letters . Yet her guidance counselor warned her away from attending a four-year university , saying she would probably be overwhelmed because of her background and upbringing .
Fortunately , Contreras ignored that advice and became the first in her family to attend college — a “ First Gen .”
She earned her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley , but didn ’ t stop there . Contreras went on to Harvard for her master ’ s , then Stanford for her PhD . Overwhelming ? From time to time , but that didn ’ t hold her back . She ’ s now a UC San Diego professor in the Department of Education Studies and was recently appointed associate vice chancellor of equity , diversity and inclusion .
Contreras ’ story is one of many — thousands , actually , as UC San Diego on average enrolls more than 2,500 First Gen students each year , up 33 percent over the past 10 years . These numbers and the corresponding success of students have launched a UC system-wide initiative to showcase the unique struggles and triumphs of those who are first in their families to attend college .
With 10 campuses across the state , the numbers are impressive . Almost half of UC undergraduates are the first in their family to go to college , far outpacing select public and private institutions , and above the national average for four-year universities . Of these students , 49 percent are underrepresented minorities , 60 percent are from lower-income families and 39 percent speak English as a second language .
Their achievements are worth noting , too . Compared to a low of only 11 percent nationally , 80 percent of UC First Gen students graduate within six years , and after another six , their median income has fully surpassed that of their familiesʼ . Just as important , UC student experience surveys find a vast majority of First Gen students report a strong sense of belonging on campus .
“ Education is key to social mobility , enabling you to break free from convention and shape your own future . This is especially true for first-generation college students who seek to transform their lives and succeed , for themselves and their families ,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K . Khosla at the start of fall quarter , which saw hundreds of faculty members and staff celebrating their own First Gen status as a welcome to students . The campus community came together for a special forum called “ What Fueled Me to Be First ,” where students heard a variety of First Gen stories , firsthand .
Stories like Ricky Flahive ’ 17 , a First Gen alumnus who achieved so much at UC San Diego that he took the stage as student speaker on graduation day with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama . A transfer student , Flahive said attending community college not only gave him a second chance , but gave him the confidence that he belonged at a university .
“ UC San Diego wasn ’ t even on my radar when I started my life at community college , but its presence on our campus changed my life into something that would have been unimaginable ,” he said .
8 TRITON | WINTER 2018