Hundreds of students, staff, and faculty gathered on Nov. 7 for the sixth annual First Gen College Celebration to honor the accomplishments of CSUDH’s first-generation students. But this year also marked a new beginning for the development of support strategies for a campus community that is so central to the university’s mission and values.
Mayra Soriano, associate VP for student success and belonging at CSUDH, says that the university’s recent membership in the FirstGen Forward Network has been critical to providing even greater resources for meeting the unique challenges that first-generation students face.
“For this year’s event, I started to look at how we as an institution can create a better infrastructure for this work to occur and have a greater impact, and to really infuse an institutional commitment to First Gen student success, which is what the network is all about,” says Soriano.
The network, which serves more than 400 institutions in 49 states and the District of Columbia, offers a national model for scaling holistic first-generation success by engaging and empowering higher education institutions to transform the first-generation student experience, advance academic and co-curricular outcomes, and build more inclusive institutional structures.
In doing so, says Soriano, CSUDH can improve student success across the board.
“Almost half of our undergraduates—about 44.5 percent— identify as first generation,” says Soriano. “When we attend to the ways that we can, as an institution, create structures, policies, and practices that benefit first-gen students, all students can benefit.”
Efren Melenas, a retention specialist at CSUDH and first-generation student, welcomed attendees to the celebration by reminding them that their success has always been conditioned by the sacrifices of so many others.
“My parents were born in a little village in the beautiful state of Michoacan in Mexico,” Melenas said. “They were only able to get a fifth-grade education. My accomplishments—my bachelor’s degree, my master’s degree—are theirs as well.”
Attendees also heard from a panel of first-generation students representing faculty, staff, and students at CSUDH and moderated by Trimaine Davis, program director for the Black Resource Center.
“Being a First Gen college student means that you’re a pioneer. You pave the way for others. You are making a ‘way’ out of ‘no way,’” Davis said. “And the great thing is that once you’re done making that road, it will always be there for others to travel.”
Dr. Daniel Santana, an associate professor at CSUDH and panelist at the event, said being a First Gen college student for him means representing and serving your community.
“I grew up in Southeast Los Angeles. Lynwood, South Gate, Compton, Huntington Park—these are my communities. It’s an honor to teach at CSUDH because our students are my people. But I also think about all the people who couldn’t be here to obtain an education.”
ASI President and CEO Edgar Mejia-Alisano, an immigrant from Guatemala and first-generation student, also invoked the memory of those no longer present but who nonetheless played a vital role in his education.
“Maybe your loved ones aren’t here anymore to see your success,” said Mejia-Alisano. “Remember them and the sacrifices they made and keep moving forward.”
At its core, he added, the First Gen Celebration is about generational success.“
I have two younger sisters at home. Just as my parents and grandparents wanted for me, I want to see my sisters go far beyond what I’ve accomplished. I want them to help ensure the future success of the generations that will follow them.”
