Extra Post 2: Virginia Tech and First Generation Students

Virginia Tech has a student club to support first gen, known as 1st Generation at Virginia Tech (1G@VT) (https://gobblerconnect.vt.edu/organization/1stGenVT). The group was founded in January 2007 by Sarah Umbarger-Wells, assistant director for the Virginia Tech Talent Search Program. The organization is dedicated to help first generation students to navigate and overcome challenges during college. They are committed to offer opportunities, services, and resources that unlock the vast potential first-gen students. In simple terms, the group acts as a support system, providing knowledge, emotional support and resources that the family cannot provide to the student. According to Khaila Ellis, a senior food science major and fellow committee member in the organization, this was an important step to promote inclusion in college. She argues that when first generation students get to college, they usually do not know what resources are offered to them, and therefore, they might feel that they are left behind and in disadvantage when compared to other students (First-generation students find connections, 2018). 

Thinking about the importance of engaging and supporting first generation students, the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) declared that November 08 as the First-Generation Celebration Day at Virginia Tech. Also, on May of this year, electrical engineering alumnus Joe T (class of 62) and his family donated to the college of engineering $5 million to support first gen students. The goal of the May Family Foundation is to establish a multiyear program that aims to increase the number of first-generation students in Virginia who enroll at and graduate from Virginia Tech in engineering ( Corder, 2018). According to VT News, the May Family Foundation Pathway for 1st-Generation Students will begin this year with the selection of 60 first-generation students from Virginia. These students will spend two weeks in Blacksburg the summer after their freshman year of high school, where they will have hands-on experiences with engineering disciplines. Later that year, the same group of students will participate in the RISE (Recruiting Initiative for Student Engineers) Spring Game Event ( Neupane, 2018). Joe T believes it is crucial to support these students throughout their college life, in an interview for the Virginia Tech Engineer magazine he said: “A couple of people in small ways were very helpful in getting me on track and allows me to end up getting an engineering degree from Virginia Tech, so I need to give back” ( Corder, 2018). 

Sources:

• First-generation students find connections. (2018, November 15). Retrieved from Virginia Tech Daily: https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2018/11/students-first-generation.html
• Corder, E. (2018, Fall). Gift creates a pathway for first generation engineering students. Retrieved from Virginia Tech Engineer: https://eng.vt.edu/magazine/stories/fall-2018/joe-may-gift.html
• Neupane, S. (2018, May 4). Collegiate Times. Retrieved from $5 million gift to establish program for first-generation students at Virginia Tech: http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/million-gift-to-establish-program-for-first-generation-students-at/article_6f215104-4fe5-11e8-9040-2b3cc613f6b1.html