Current Position: Dean, College of Arts and SciencesI remember being very excited at the prospect of traveling to California from my hometown in Cincinnati for college. I had never flown on a plane before that trip to college! I brought way too much stuff in a very heavy suitcase and refused to let anyone help me with it. I made it ok (and later realized how I should have let people help me carry my suitcase) but that story is indicative of my strong determination to succeed, on my own, much as I had done while growing up. My own determination and eventually finding friends at Pomona who, like me, came from low income households, were keys to my success. I worked with some great faculty members who expressed --at graduation time-- how proud they were that I not only graduated but carried out a senior research project, was inducted to Sigma Xi -- the scientific research honor society-- and was admitted to the University of Miami to study tropical biology. I think that these same faculty were pretty worried that I would not make it through when they first met me as an incoming first-year student though. As an administrator now, I am very committed to supporting initiatives that intentionally connect first-gen students with one another and with first-gen faculty and staff.
Because I attended an 'elite' liberal arts college (Pomona College) during the late 1980's, a great percentage of my fellow students came from very wealthy backgrounds. I did not understand some of their interests and experiences and did not share the same extra- or co-curricular interests as many of them. This led me to finding the other students who had similar experiences and backgrounds to my own. We had to find each other without any intentionality on the part of Pomona College though -- there was no network of first-gen students or fac or staff. I also struggled with finances throughout my time at Pomona. While the aid package I had covered most of the formal costs, I had to work to buy everything else --books, supplies and travel home. Therefore, I rarely went home for breaks other than Christmas and summer. I do remember that in a positive light though. I remember a wonderful Thanksgiving meal in the dorms that we students who could not go home cooked ourselves each year in one of the dorm kitchens. I overcame challenges I faced by finding other students who had similar challenges and working together to support one another.
At UP, we provide excellent programming to bring first-gen students together and connect first-gen students with first-gen faculty and staff. Times have changed from when I was a student-- in a good way! My advice is don't be determined to always do everything on your own, by your individual initiative. It took me some time to learn that lesson myself, so I hope my advice can speed up that learning for others! Networking is an important part of the College experience so try to treat that as another 'homework assignment' -- take on building friendships as an assignment alongside your coursework. You can add much value to your college experience via the lifelong friends you will make here.
My experiences prepared me well for life after college. Personally, I came to better understand the importance of connecting with others for mutual support. Professionally, the networks I developed and successes I had by the end of my time in College launched me forward in Biology and toward a successful academic career (25+ years now).
Some faculty who mentored my research projects were very influential to my admission to graduate school.
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