One by one, first-generation Warriors stood up, introduced themselves, and began sharing personal stories of pride, fear, joy, uncertainty, responsibility, and a medley of other emotions that came with being the first in their families to attend college.<\/p>\n
Students spoke of successes and setbacks, but each story concluded with a common theme: the Generation One Club was a place where they felt heard and understood, and GenOne Week was a celebration that allowed them to pause and appreciate the progress they\u2019ve made.<\/p>\n
Held from Nov. 3-7, GenOne Week at East Stroudsburg University featured events and activities designed to bring first-generation students together. At this particular gathering, called \u201cKnowledge for College,\u201d each student in attendance opened up about their experiences.<\/p>\n
When it was Khryztelle Alferez\u2019s turn, she began her story by explaining she was born in a small village in the Philippines \u2013 a place where education didn\u2019t carry the same weight as it does elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family is from a place where even if you have education, you could possibly not get anything out of it,\u201d said Alferez, a junior majoring in medical technology. \u201cSo, coming to America, that was my family\u2019s way of surviving.\u201d<\/p>\n
She paused and looked around the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing to ESU, I really believed this was my chance to give back to my parents for all that hardship and struggle they experienced in getting me here,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n
Alferez went on to explain that though the pressure was real, support from the Generation One Club, fellow students, and ESU faculty and staff helped her succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to a meeting and for the first time I heard some semblance of my own experience, and it was surreal because I had felt like maybe I don\u2019t belong here, but the club helped me realize that I do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Feelings like imposter syndrome are not uncommon for first-generation college students, said Generation One Club President and junior nursing major Alyssa Ryan. For them, having a tight-knit network to rely on when things get tough can make all the difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all leave our families and come to a brand-new experience where everyone and everything is completely different,\u201d Ryan said after \u201cKnowledge for College\u201d concluded. \u201cEvery single story about making friends, finding connections, or getting the help they needed, is a telling point for me that we\u2019re doing something right, and we\u2019re fostering these connections.\u201d<\/p>\n
GenOne Week not only provides a needed forum, it helps bring new members and new perspectives into the club, Ryan added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to get first-generation students involved in the club as early as we can because the longer you\u2019re involved, the more relationships you foster,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Angel Arce, a dual major in social work and middle level education with a concentration in English, spoke about growing up in Philadelphia and how it was difficult to find guidance related to education. The Generation One Club became that place.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a second family that serves to make you feel welcome but also makes sure that you\u2019re supported no matter what,\u201d Arce said.<\/p>\n
In addition to \u201cKnowledge for College,\u201d GenOne Week featured karaoke-centered \u201cMusic for Commuters,\u201d a hot chocolate and coffee fundraiser, an annual mixer for faculty and staff who were first-generation college students, a game night and a relaxation and mindfulness-themed \u201cZen Hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Events and resources aren\u2019t just limited to GenOne Week. Programs are held throughout the academic year to assist first-generation students who encounter challenges when adjusting to university life.<\/p>\n
Students interested in learning more about the Generation One Club can visit the club\u2019s WarriorLink page<\/a> or the GenOne website<\/a>. They can also contact the co-coordinators ESU\u2019s First Gen College Campus Programs and Initiatives Joe Akob<\/a> and Dr. Jessica Santiago<\/a> or\u00a0GenOne club advisors Christine Getz<\/a> and Kim Roselli<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One by one, first-generation Warriors stood up, introduced themselves, and began sharing personal stories of pride, fear, joy, uncertainty, responsibility, and a medley of other emotions that came with being the first in their families to attend college.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":24573,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[143,42,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-news-release","category-slider"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24571"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24571"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24575,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24571\/revisions\/24575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}