Shepard Academic Resource Center
March 14, 2018
Photo: Diana Salgado Huicochea ‘20
The Shepard Academic Resource Center’s (SARC) First Generation (FGEN) program recently launched a new peer mentorship program with the goal of providing all FGEN students with personalized support within the UP community.
The program consists of ten peer mentor students, themselves first generation, partnered with 30 first generation freshmen students on campus. These 30 students make up around 40% of the total FGEN freshmen population this year.
"Through these peer mentors, we want FGEN students to know that UP is a supportive place that is invested in first generation students," stated Matt Daily, Program Manager for Special Populations and Learning Assistance. "We’re committed to this as an institution and we want nothing more but for them to thrive here and honor that they're the first in their families to attend college."
One student looking to fill the vital role of a peer mentor for her fellow first generation students is sophomore biology major Diana Salgado Huicochea ‘20.
“I've always had a passion for helping others and I know that my experience at UP would’ve been so difficult if it weren’t for the FGEN program," stated Huicochea. "I want other first generation students to know they have someone there who has been in their shoes, and is now trained and specialized to help them."
Diana came to UP in 2016 unsure of what the transition to college life would be like. She had no one to guide her and her family did not truly understand the transition she was experiencing. But through the FGEN program on campus, she found a loving and caring community to support her.
Now, Diana is one of the ten first generation student ambassadors who are striving to be leaders for their community and provide guidance and assistance that they wish they had their freshmen year.
"We can offer them support in a way we couldn’t in the past," stated Daily. "We want FGEN students to know that they can accomplish their goals and realize their dreams."
About the FGEN Program
Each year, the incoming freshman class is composed of about 7-10% of first generation students, meaning their parents did not receive a college education. Additionally, by the government definition of a first generation student (parents did not receive a four-year degree), one in five students in each incoming class is a first generation student.
“In 2010, we realized that there were a lot of scholarship opportunities for first generation students and that we didn’t know who they were," stated Daily. "We realized that it would probably be good to really understand what the student population was about and how we could best support them here."
As a result, a committee was formed with the goal of creating a program that would benefit and support all FGEN students at UP as they transitioned into college. The program was created so that "first generation students can form and have a sense of community with each other," stated Daily. "It is meant to be a means of support so that they have resources available to them."
The program is housed within the Shepard Academic Resource Center The SARC's purpose is to unlock and make accessible academic, social, and cultural learning potential in order for students to witness, serve, and influence a complex and changing world. The center offers a variety of services for all students in order to help them succeed during their time at UP.
The FGEN program on campus strives to give first generation students a smooth transition from high school to college, and, through the new peer mentorship program, the FGEN program will continue to provide new and valuable resources on campus for all first generation students to come. For more information about the FGEN program, contact Matt Daily at 503-943-7895 or firstgen@up.edu
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
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