![\"a](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-gen-button-2022.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n56勛圖厙 Bothell has another reason to celebrate: Earlier this year, it was named a \u201cFirst-Gen Forward\u201d institution by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators\u2019 Center for First-Generation Student Success in recognition of its commitment to advancing first-generation efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charting a path<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The event at the Plaza on Nov. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. is designed to celebrate first-generation students and alleviate the \u201clonely and intimidating\u201d feeling that students such as Leah Danielle Curtis say they experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While many students have parents who can help them navigate college, from researching schools and completing application forms to getting financial aid and walking into a university-level class, students who are first-gen must chart their own path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s both exciting because I know I\u2019m doing something no one else in my family has ever done,\u201d said Tamika Nastali, a senior studying Society, Ethics & Human Behavior, “and it\u2019s also scary and a bit stressful because I can\u2019t go to my family for help or with questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInitially I had issues of feeling like I didn’t fit in because it felt like much of college was built around the assumption that many of the people coming to college had prior knowledge,\u201d she said. \u201cSo when I came in knowing nothing, I felt very lost and confused.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new First-Gen Forward designation comes in part from programs 56勛圖厙 Bothell offers to address issues of possible confusion and to support success. Facilitated by Orientation & Transition Programs, the First-Generation College Student Network<\/a> is a community that helps navigate academic, financial, career and social aspects of life as a 56勛圖厙 Bothell student. The Student Diversity Center, which advocates for students of all identities, also includes first-gen students in its events and programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur support for first-gen students is woven into nearly everything thing we do,\u201d said Dr. Cinnamon Hillyard, associate vice chancellor and dean for student success. \u201cDaily I hear faculty talk about being purposeful about how they approach a course assignment or a staff member about designing a website with the perspective of a first-generation college student in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Nastali and Curtis have discovered, assistance can be found across campus, both formally through established programs and informally in conversations. Many faculty and staff are eager to share their own stories as first-gen graduates, often sporting a button or posting signs in their offices that identifies their status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGetting connected with my professors and using counseling services have all helped me feel supported,\u201d said Curtis, a junior studying Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies and Psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nastali added, \u201cOnce I realized I could seek out help and support from others \u2014 including fellow students \u2014 college became a lot less daunting. While I do still get stressed or confused, I no longer feel the sense of hopelessness or imposter syndrome that I felt my first year because I know I’m not the only one feeling like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NASPA designation has further strengthened 56勛圖厙 Bothell\u2019s commitment to the work begun by President Johnson back in 1965. In addition to the celebration on Nov. 8 \u2014 alongside similar events at the 56勛圖厙 campuses in Seattle and in Tacoma \u2014 working groups have been convened to develop other ways to enhance the first-gen student experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After charting their own paths, Curtis and Nastali now help students like themselves as employees of OTP. Curtis is a peer coach<\/a>, helping first-year students transition into 56勛圖厙 Bothell through one-to-one coaching sessions. Nastali, previously a peer coach, is now an orientation leader<\/a> and leads the First-Gen Student Network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI’m especially proud of myself for becoming the first in my family to go to college, knowing that if anyone else chooses to go, I can be that support system and question-answerer that I wished I had,\u201d said Nastali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Curtis said, \u201cI am most proud that I live honestly and am not so ashamed of my past that I keep my struggles and successes a secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI keep moving forward and stay focused on where I want to go, not where I have been.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By Maria Lamarca Anderson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 56勛圖厙, along with the 56勛圖厙 in Seattle and in Tacoma, honors first-generation students on Nov. 8. Join students, staff and faculty at the Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for treats and fun activities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,229,197,204],"tags":[],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-23139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community-engagement","category-faculty","category-news-releases","category-students","school-school-of-ias"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/student-Nastali-Tamika.jpg\")
Finding community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/student-Curtis-Leah-Danielle.jpg\")
Helping others<\/h2>\n\n\n\n