Going to college can be a harrowing experience for anyone leaving home for the first time. It can bring about feelings of loneliness, confusion and even homesickness. These feelings are further exaggerated for first-generation students, who not only have to leave home to pursue their education but are also the first in their family to do so. Thankfully at UVU, 41% of all Wolverines in attendance are first-generation, making the idea of community much easier to achieve on campus.
UVU’s First-Generation Student Success Center provides the needed help and sense of community to the 19,000 first-generation Wolverines. Colton Simons, the director of the Center, expressed his eagerness to spread awareness about it to ensure that all first-generation Wolverines know that help is available for them when they need it.
“My goal is to make sure that every first-gen student at UVU is receiving communication and is aware that there is a resource here for them, regardless of major, regardless of background, regardless of any demographic,” Simons said. This idea of inclusivity is evident throughout the center, as they always have tables out in front of their office and events catered for all the first-generation students across campus.
One of the most important services the center provides is help and resources to first-generation students. The center is there to provide answers–answers that first-gen Wolverines either need, are afraid to ask, or even answers to questions they didn’t know existed. Learning to navigate college life as a first-gen student can be like learning a new language, as it’s filled with new terms and concepts that aren’t always taught but expected. As a result, many first-gen students can feel terrified when faced with a problem they don’t know how to solve.
“I wish every professor knew how much they can impact student success by taking 10 to 15 minutes in the first day or first week of class to orient students to the processes and procedures of the class. We have countless students who come in that don’t understand Canvas,” Simons remarked when asked what professors and faculty could do to help first-gen students better adjust to college life. “We get in a mode where we assume students know something or they are going to figure it out, but that is not always the case. Taking time to explain the big ideas or objectives of a class makes a major difference. Show them where things are on Canvas. Point out what’s important on the syllabus and help them understand what is being asked. Emphasize the things you value as a professor, things like communication, participation, and so on. We have to get past our assumption that all students are prepared or equipped for their college journey. A little extra help goes a long way.”
UVU is home to thousands of Wolverines whose college experience is unique in their family, and when they’re faced with a new challenge, they often can’t rely on their family for help. This is something that the First-Generation Student Success Center is there for–to fill in the gaps for these Wolverines. First Generation Students represent a critical step or their families, a step that can allow the generations after them to experience higher education and better their lives, and the First Gen Center is there to help make that happen.
