Four-year colleges look to support first-generation students

Audrey Olmos-Govea sat in her first sociology class at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., and couldn’t believe what she had just heard. As she remembers it, a guest lecturer turned to the class and said: “You understand, you’ve all been to Europe, right?”

Olmos-Govea watched most of her classmates nod in agreement, and at that moment experienced the culture shock she’d been warned about. The Pomona native had flown only once, for a college-sponsored tour. Europe was out of the question in her home; she is the first in her family to attend college, and the $15,000 a year her mother earns working as a balloon artist is the family’s sole income.

Her hand shot up in the air. “I haven’t been to Europe,” she said. “My family didn’t take vacations. I worked every summer.”

By the time she arrived on the idyllic New England campus with just two suitcases and a backpack (her roommate’s belongings required two cars), Olmos-Govea, who is Mexican-American, already had overcome tremendous odds that set her apart from the majority of first-generation students, who are more likely to be found at community colleges.

Now a junior, she came from a town where 38 percent of residents over 25 did not graduate high school; the majority don’t speak English at home. A mentor encouraged her to apply to Smith, a top private all-women’s college with a combined annual cost of $63,950, not including books. A generous financial aid and scholarship package made it possible.

In recent years, though, a growing number of costly, selective four-year institutions are trying to help high-achieving first-generation students such as Olmos-Govea survive and thrive. Nationally, just 31.6 percent of first-generation low-income students (and 47.8 percent of low-income non-first-generation students) who enroll in a four-year college will graduate within six years, according to the most recent data from the Pell Institute. Those in the bottom income quartile, like Olmos-Govea, have only a 9 percent chance of graduating by age 24.

Overall, first-generation students are hardly well-represented at competitive four-year institutions. A University of Michigan study found that when looking at the bottom half of income earners, only 14 percent of their children attend the most selective colleges. A mere 5 percent of those from the lowest income quartile attend elite schools. There are exceptions: In California, nearly half of freshmen in the UC system this fall are among the first in their family to earn a degree, University of California data show.

At UC Merced, 62 percent of undergraduates identify as first-generation students, according to the school’s Institutional Research and Decision Support data. Among them is Emanuel Nuñez, a second-year biology student from Gustine.

Nuñez’s experience was somewhat different than that of Olmos-Govea. He was not warned about culture shock, and didn’t set much expectations.

“You think it might be like in the movies, but it’s nothing like it,” he said. A $20,000 Dell scholarship and a financial aid package made his transition to UC Merced less of a concern. His main worry was if he would be academically prepared for college courses.

When applying for college, he thought about leaving the Central Valley. He visited various campuses, but had a difficult time picturing himself anywhere else.

“UC Merced is where I saw myself,” he said.

Nuñez believes his decision was in part swayed because of the diverse student population and large number of first-generation students. “I felt like I’d fit in,” he said.

When most of the student population is first-generation, providing resources for this group becomes a priority, said Charles Nies, vice chancellor of student affairs at UC Merced.

At UC Merced, first-generation students have a 65 percent six-year graduation rate, which is the same for all students on campus, Nies said.

“The campus is designed to help students, who may not have a lot of experience, find their way around,” Nies said. The school, for example, has put in place “one-stop shops,” or windows where students can get all their questions regarding registration and finances answered. “It makes navigating the university much easier,” Nies said.

University staff and officials emphasize resources designed for first-generation students, such as the Fiat Lux Scholars Program, which offers a variety of academic and social workshops for first-generation, low-income students. Part of making such resources successful is encouraging a help-seeking behavior among students, Nies said.

One of the focuses in guiding first-generation students is introducing and exploring career options. “There are so many things that students don’t know exist,” Nies said.

Nuñez agreed. Before college he thought of careers only in the medical field. While still an option, he has also found a passion in guiding and empowering students such as himself. He said he could see himself working with students in a university setting.

As a first-generation student, the most valuable thing he has learned is the importance of advocating for oneself, he said.

“If you want to get something done, you have to take the initiative,” he said. “And it’s OK to ask for help, that’s what all the resources are here for.”

Many colleges are recognizing the array of challenges that keep first-generation students from graduating. In addition to financial strain, such students may be less prepared for the demanding course loads, have difficulty navigating the complicated college system and feel afraid of asking for help.

“Last year I was talking to a student who was homesick. I started talking to her like I would any other homesick student,” said Marge Litchford, assistant dean of students at Smith and founder of their first-generation orientation program. “But then I realized she wasn’t going to see her parents for the whole year because she couldn’t afford to fly home. And they couldn’t fly to visit her because they were undocumented.”

Some of the efforts come at a time of increased attention to first-generation students, from federal and state policymakers, foundations and President Barack Obama’s push, along with first lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative and the “I’m First” video she released in 2014 describing her own first-generation experience at Princeton.

At Smith, where the orientation program began five years ago, officials say graduation rates for first-generation students have been consistent over the past 10 years: 86 percent in four years. Litchford said the program is aimed mostly at increasing their sense of belonging and empowerment, and Angela Lool – a chemistry major from Los Angeles who took advantage of Smith’s first-generation orientation – said that if the program weren’t there, she’d probably be ashamed of revealing that her parents didn’t go to college.

“It made me feel like you’re not alone. It’s OK to be first generation,” she said. “When I talk to my parents or anyone back home about college, they’re really proud of me. And when they feel proud of me, I feel proud of myself.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 7:07 PM with the headline "Four-year colleges look to support first-generation students."