The Charger Blog
As part of its commemoration of First-Generation Celebration Day, the University of New Haven held an event to foster support and cultivate a sense of belonging for students who are the first in their family to go to college.
November 17, 2021
Saige Batza 鈥25 recently took the opportunity to connect with other students at the University who, like her, are the first in their family to go to college. She says it was a great opportunity, and she鈥檚 grateful for the support of the University community.
As part of First-Generation Celebration Day, which was created in 2017 by the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Center for First-Generation of Success and is celebrated each year on November 8, the University held a celebration designed to connect first-generation students, faculty, and staff. It was a meaningful way for them to share their 黑料社s and to foster a sense of community.
鈥淚t means a lot to be able to embrace being a first-generation student,鈥 said Batza, a psychology major. 鈥淚t also means a lot to my family. I鈥檓 glad the University offers events like this, and the people here have been amazing.鈥
Approximately 40 percent of students at the University are, like Batza, first-generation college students. Many who attended the celebration, including Sofia Martinez 鈥22 and Ariana Eastwood 鈥23, are active members of the University community and are dedicated to making sure their fellow Chargers feel a sense of support and belonging.
The event included faculty and staff members, such as Alvin Tran, Sc.D., MPH, an assistant professor of public health and assistant provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and Carrie Robinson, M.S., director of the University鈥檚 Myatt Center for Diversity and Inclusion.
As part of the event, Larry Flanagan 鈥80, 鈥13 Hon., retired president and CEO of and a first-generation student, shared his story with students. After beginning his college career at the University three years after graduating from high school, he 黑料社d moments of excitement and pride (his proud mother called him her 鈥渓ittle professor鈥) as well as fear and self-doubt, as he pursued his degree in marketing.
Flanagan told students how he persevered, despite the challenges of being the first person on both sides of his family to attend college. As a student, he fell in love with advertising and dreamed of working on Madison Avenue in New York. He ended up working for one of the largest ad agencies in the world shortly after graduating. He went to become the global chief marketing and communications officer at , where he helped launch the company鈥檚 hugely successful 鈥淧riceless鈥 campaign.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 discuss my 黑料社 with anyone in my family, as they had no idea what I was going through,鈥 explained Flanagan, a member of the University鈥檚 Board of Governors and chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. 鈥淢y mom and my brother and sisters thought that, when I graduated, I was going to open a market. They thought that鈥檚 what marketing was.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure you understand struggling with questions, challenges, and your own internal doubts,鈥 Flanagan continued. 鈥淚 believe the challenges I overcame as a first-generation student energized me throughout my career and to today.鈥
Flanagan鈥檚 message resonated with Candice Deal, Ph.D., assistant dean of the University鈥檚 Pompea College of Business and a first-generation student herself. Not only did she learn how to navigate college life as a young student, she also adjusted to being in a new country.
鈥淎s an 18-year-old from a tight-knit family in the Bahamas, I didn鈥檛 know what I was getting into when I left home and my home country to attend college,鈥 she explains. 鈥淲hen I started college, I didn鈥檛 know what credits were. From that 18-year-old to becoming a professor, it鈥檚 eye-opening how far I鈥檝e come.鈥
Flanagan鈥檚 story also stuck with Elizabeth Hall 鈥24, a psychology major. She says his inspirational message 鈥 and the event itself 鈥 enabled her to feel supported and heard.
鈥淚 think it was very meaningful, and I appreciate the story he told,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 related to it when he discussed not wanting to disappoint his family and not always knowing what to do. My mom was also proud when I went to college, and I didn鈥檛 want to disappoint her or myself, but sometimes it is overwhelming.鈥
Hall is endeavoring to foster more connections between first-generation students. She is serving as vice president for a new organization that offers support and community for first-generation students.
Isabelle Hajek 鈥22, a first-generation student and a psychology major, is doing her part to help support fellow first-generation students. A resident assistant, she is passionate about making sure those following in her footsteps feel connected to the University community and that they avail themselves of all the resources and support it has to offer.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a big learning curve for first-generation students, and it can be overwhelming,鈥 she said. 鈥淎s a resident assistant, I look forward to connecting students with this new organization. It鈥檚 an important step in the right direction for first-generation students, and it鈥檚 nice to feel supported.鈥
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