Description:

California State University Fullerton has one of the most diverse student populations amongst the 23 CSU campuses. Designated a Hispanic-serving institution, CSU Fullerton offers many programs to support diverse students and the challenges and obstacles they face throughout the college experience. With first-generation college students representing one of the largest diverse student populations, the career center recognized a need to further support this population as they work toward their career goals. The career center offers a number of services to address all student career development needs, but to address the specific needs of first-generation college students, we developed the I Am First program. The I Am First program also aims to address and close one of the many equity gaps that underrepresented students encounter as first-generation college students. Another need we wanted to address is facilitating a sense of belonging amongst the I Am First group of students. When meeting with students that identify as first-generation college students, we often hear that they feel like they are going through their experience alone. Therefore, we wanted to address this need of a sense of belonging and normalizing their situation by creating opportunities to build community amongst the group. The I Am First program will equip first-generation college students with the confidence, self-awareness, and career readiness knowledge to jumpstart into a successful journey toward achieving career and leadership development. As an I Am First student, you will be amongst a group of your peers who can relate to the first-generation college experience and provide a network of support even beyond the program conclusion. Program Pillars Empower The first pillar of the I Am First program aims to provide participants with the tools and resources to build confidence and self-awareness as they embark upon their college experience at Cal State Fullerton. As a first-generation college student it is important to recognize the many strengths and talents one has to offer and begin to apply during your college journey. Explore The second pillar of the I Am First program aims to provide participants with opportunities and learning formats during working sessions to begin exploring career and life goals. Students will engage in a Design Your Life session to begin exploring various aspects of the college experience including determining one’s major and/or career path and how it relates to the challenges and opportunities of being a first-generation college student. Students will also be exposed to a panel of first-generation alumnus and faculty members that can share valuable advice and tips for success throughout the college experience. Execute The third pillar of the I Am First program aims to provide participants with a career roadmap plan of action and exposure to networking opportunities. These networking opportunities will provide an opportunity for students to engage with first-gen alumnus working in various professions and faculty to begin working towards executing goals and overcoming the traditional challenges of identifying as a first/second year first-generation college student. The I Am First program is a co-hort based model that aims to provide freshmen through senior and transfer first-generation college students with the tools, resources, and confidence to pursue their career related goals. First generation college students face many obstacles and challenges that can potentially lead them to do poorly academically and may lack the self-confidence to pursue career goals if not provided the proper support from staff and faculty. Therefore, the I Am First program aims to provide the challenge and support to first-generation college students upon entry to Cal State Fullerton so that they are equipped with the confidence and career readiness knowledge/tools to complement their academic goals and success throughout their college experience moving forward. Another key objective of the program is to offer a sense of belonging amongst the students in each co-hort through intentional programming and connecting them to CSU Fullerton alumnus, staff, faculty, and administrators that also identified as first-generation college students.

Audience:

Career Services

Level:

Advanced-Level

Track:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Type:

Traditional

Main Speaker:

Stephanie Reyes, California State University-Fullerton

Additional Speakers:

Marcela Rojas, California State University-Fullerton