Contacts: [email protected], [email protected]
The First-Generation@Scripps program is designed for students whose parent(s)/guardian(s) have not received a bachelor’s degree from a 4-year institution in the United States. This student community is comprised of those who will be the first in their families to receive a bachelor’s degree from a 4-year institution in the United States. Unable to rely on the experiences of their family as a guide, these students are tasked with navigating testing, admissions, financial aid, and housing on their own—and that’s all before classes begin.
“First-Gen” guides Scripps students through their first year and beyond through exposure to faculty, resources, and workshops. The program also strives to help students build community and bring awareness to issues surrounding first-generation students, faculty, and staff at Scripps and move toward successful navigation. While the program is completely voluntary, it is a valuable opportunity to connect with other students and future mentors!
Resources for first generation students:
The First-Generation@Scripps program is designed for students whose parent(s)/guardian(s) have not received a bachelor’s degree from a 4-year institution in the United States. This student community is comprised of those who will be the first in their families to receive a bachelor’s degree from a 4-year institution in the United States. Unable to rely on the experiences of their family as a guide, these students are tasked with navigating testing, admissions, financial aid, and housing on their own—and that’s all before classes begin.
“First-Gen” guides Scripps students through their first year and beyond through exposure to faculty, resources, and workshops. The program also strives to help students build community and bring awareness to issues surrounding first-generation students, faculty, and staff at Scripps and move toward successful navigation. While the program is completely voluntary, it is a valuable opportunity to connect with other students and future mentors!
Resources for first generation students:
- Pre-Orientation: First Gen pre-orientation is provided for all first-year first-generation students to help them gain knowledge about resources available at Scripps and help them to connect with students, faculty, and staff who can mentor them in their transition to college. This pre-orientation program is supported by a partnership between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
- Workshops: A variety of educational and social programming is offered throughout the school year to specifically meet the needs of first-generation students. These workshops are often crafted in direct response to what first-generation students share about wants and needs to best support their transition and success. Program highlights include an open house, preparation for summer options, lunches with faculty, dinner with the cohorts, time-management advice, tips for transitioning home for break, and guidance in choosing a major.
- Mentor Program: Within the first few weeks of the fall semester, incoming first-generation college students are matched with returning students who identify as first-generation. The mentoring program is intended to assist in providing support to students who are the first in their families to attend a four-year institution. The mentoring program is an informal effort to enable both individuals to build new skills, prepare for advancement and other growth opportunities, build self-esteem and self-confidence, and work toward the fulfillment of personal professional development and goals. While the mentoring program is required for the first semester, it is the aim of the program that the mentor-mentee relationship continues beyond the first semester.
- Newsletter: The newsletter was created with the purpose of highlighting areas of diversity and achievement in the first-generation community as well as in the larger community of first-generation students in higher education. Additionally, the newsletter provides opportunities to highlight the support that students have at Scripps in faculty, staff, and other community members. The vision for the newsletter is to create content that is relevant and engaging. The hope is to foster constructive discourse between first-generation students and allies alike: to reshape conversations at Scripps to be more inclusive, more aware and more progressive.
- Student-Faculty Lunches: In an effort to improve communication between faculty members and first-generation students at Scripps, these lunches are open to students from all class years, faculty from multiple disciplines, and staff members from a wide range of departments.
- Co-Interns: The First-Generation@Scripps program has co-interns who actively engage in creating programming for first-generation students. Additionally, the co-interns hold office hours in in cross campus locations every week. Students are encouraged to drop by if they have questions about the program or just want to say hello. See office hours, locations and intern bios below!
- Faculty Liaison: The First-Generation@Scripps program has faculty members who serve as advisors and liaisons to the program. The faculty liaisons also work to bridge partnerships between first-generation students and the faculty, by building support via engagement.
- Staff Coordinators: The First-Generation@Scripps staff coordinators work to lead, manage and coordinate first-generation efforts across the campus. The coordinators serve as supervisors and advisors to the co-interns and provide mentorship, advising, academic and social support to all first-generation students at Scripps College.
