\u201cWhat does being first mean?\u201d was written at the top of an easel propped at Joseph Vaughn Plaza.<\/p>\n
Several of Furman\u2019s nearly 300 first-generation students \u2013 the first in their immediate families to pursue a four-year degree \u2013 left replies: \u201cOpen doors for my siblings.\u201d \u201cTo prove that my family and I are worthy.\u201d \u201cBringing new perspective to every opportunity.\u201d \u201cChange and be great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Presented by the First-Generation Student Alliance (FGSA<\/a>) and the divisions of Student Life and Academic Affairs, First-Gen Week in early November continued a campus initiative<\/a> to improve outcomes for a growing population of students, said Rod Kelley \u201906, assistant dean of student conduct.<\/p>\n Furman is a member of the First Scholars Network, which is made up of higher education institutions committed to supporting students who are first in their families to attend college. Colleges and universities raise awareness of the first-generation college student identity and celebrate students\u2019 experiences through annual programs associated with First-Generation College Celebration, an initiative launched by the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Center for First-generation Student Success.<\/p>\n Nov. 8 marks the day when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Higher Education Act of 1965, which created financial aid programs that substantially funded students\u2019 educational experiences and invested in federal programs that supported educational opportunities in disenfranchised communities.<\/p>\n As a former first-generation student himself, Kelley understands the challenge of lacking the \u201csocial capital<\/a>\u201d those who have learned about university life from their inner circle might take for granted. The Pathways Program<\/a>, directed by Michelle Horhota, associate dean of mentoring and advising (who was also a first-generation student), is one way Furman is working to level the playing field, said Kelley, a Pathways Program advisor.<\/p>\n A set of courses introducing the skills and resources for success in college, Pathways is part of the first- and second-year curriculum for all students, which Kelsey Sumter \u201924, a chemistry major and FGSA secretary, sees as a positive step.<\/p>\n Like many other first-generation students, Sumter was highly self-motivated from early on.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything I did in school was intentional to get to the next step,\u201d said the senior, who earned a James B. Duke Scholarship<\/a>. \u201cI knew I had to do a little bit more and be a little extra with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Along with her FGSA duties, the senior \u00a0joined the Furman Justice Forum<\/a> and Women in STEM<\/a> and is the former vice president of the school\u2019s NAACP chapter \u2013 all while working as a video production assistant for the Paladins football team.<\/p>\n\u2018A little extra\u2019<\/h3>\n