Hi everyone! So about two weeks we celebrated First Gen Day, which is a nationwide celebration on many college campuses to celebrate the success of first generation college students and recognize their hard work and contribution. As a first generation college student myself, it was really meaningful to see such a day set aside to recognize the unique challenges as well as the extraordinary success first gen students experience. I had honestly never heard of this day prior to coming to college, but as I realized last week, it is definitely greatly celebrated by the Wellesley Community. Leading up to first gen day, the First Gen Network had planned many events. The actual first gen day itself was jam packed with many events all day from breakfast at El Table (student run sandwich cafe on campus!) to late night cookie baking and decorating with first gen residential staff. Throughout the day, many campus areas were also commemorating the day. The science center was all decorated and hosted a First Gen carnival featuring snacks and research boards of first gen students. Even the dining halls had special first gen cupcakes! Needless to say, it was an important and wonderful day!
Writing this post also has me reflecting on my experience as a first year, first gen student. It definitely hasn’t been easy and has come with many expected and unexpected challenges. However, I will say that the support system in place at Wellesley for first gen students is truly amazing. So the summer before coming to Wellesley, first year students who are first generation college students are invited to join “Wellesley Plus” which is a program in place specifically for first gen students to transition during their first year in college. We had our own first year orientation group, and were assigned orientation mentors who were upperclassmen who had previously been in Wellesley Plus. There are also special writing classes/ seminars that are for Wellesley plus students, however for me the most impactful part of Wellesley Plus is the weekly “Success Seminar” that is held and coordinated by Dean Garcia (my fav!). It features important discussions, access to important resources, guest speakers, social events, and catered food! Wellesley Plus helped me find my first community on campus, and has always been such a safe and welcoming space filled with so much support.
Branching out of Wellesley Plus, Wellesley also has the First Gen Network, which I mentioned earlier. This is a larger overarching support system for all your time at Wellesley. It is lead by administration who were also first gen students and can really relate to common struggles and experiences. They have really useful resources, social events, and just serve as a great support system if you ever need anyone to talk to.
I also wanted to take some time to highlight our Questbridge chapter on campus. Questbridge is a non-profit that helps match high school seniors from underprivileged backgrounds to really great schools (such as Wellesley!). I myself am a Questbridge Scholar, so I am part of that community/ organization on campus. This past Friday, was National Quest Day, so in celebration we had an event at El Table which featured a limited time “Questbread” sandwich to commemorate the occasion. Here’s a picture of some of us at the event!
Overall, I have found a very vibrant and supportive first gen community on campus at Wellesley, and know I will have a great network of people helping me as I navigate the next few years!
Signing Off,
Ilma