ON BEING AND SUPPORTING #FIRSTGEN STUDENTS:

Being #FIRSTGEN means navigating a complex system without benefit of familial knowledge. For me, this meant attending to every academic rule or request. I didn’t know which were important and which could be safely ignored! 1/

Side note: this is exhausting! 2/

If you send a mass email with IMPO in the subject line I will be the first person to respond to it! Being first gen means HUSTLING because you don’t have the benefit of feeling there is a safety net if you break a rule or miss a deadline. 3/

On the one hand, I love working with first gen colleagues and students because I know we get the job done! On the other hand, I want to help fix the system so future first gens don’t have to feel they are walking a tightrope. 4/

For first gen students, excelling despite the #hiddencurriculum requires finding allies to help navigate the system. I was lucky that I had the confidence to reach out to faculty and staff for guidance. A key to success is recognizing that faculty allies are not rare! 5/

We are everywhere and we want to help you succeed! A lot of students don’t realize how many faculty are ready and willing to help and support you. I am happy to meet with any student who reaches out with a sincere question about biostats. Many faculty are! 6/

Faculty, we need to recognize how hard it can be for students to seek advice and how much relatively harder making that connection can be for students who don’t have family and friends with experience with the norms of academic environments. 7/

We need to check our preconceptions about what “potential” looks or sounds like. Are we judging potential based on cues in language, dress, etc? Are we assuming students know the norms around email or meeting etiquette? Make these things explicit! 8/

Would love to hear your success stories being or mentoring #firstgen. Helping all students access the self-efficacy needed to succeed and breaking down artificial barriers to success is one of the most important things we can do as educators! END/