Supporting First-Generation Students in Higher Education Conference

Lupton Auditorium

Lupton Auditorium

Presenters: Oglethorpe students Ivy Nganga ’25 and Gloria Okwueze ’25; and Oglethorpe alumni Jasmine Martin ’23, and Elvis Macedo ’23.

“Mental Health Considerations in Working with First-Generation College Students”

Turner Lynch Campus Center – Room 225

First-generation college students experience distinct challenges that affect their mental health and wellness and academic functioning. The session will explore mental health concerns related to first-generation college students including depression, anxiety, adjustment issues, and family stressors. Presenters will provide utilization trends, outline strategies for working with first-generation students, and explore the importance of cultural humility in service delivery.

Presenters: Michelle K. Lyn, PhD; Serey B. Bright, PhD, LPC, CPCS-GA; Byron Kellam, MA, LPC, CPCS; LaRonda Hollis, LPC, CPCS-GA, Oglethorpe University

“How You Define First-Generation College Student Matters”

Turner Lynch Campus Center – Trustee Room

During this interactive presentation, we will explore how the monolithic treatment and definition of FGCS impacts our ability to accurately understand FGCS social and academic integration patterns.

Presenter: Reena Viswanath, Assistant Professor – University of West Georgia

“STEM Commuter Workshop: What would it take to fully support first-generation undergraduate STEM commuter students in their learning?” *Student-Oriented*

Turner Lynch Campus Center Game Room

First-generation STEM commuter students experience logistical constraints that prevent them from having full access to extracurricular support as they navigate their content-heavy majors. In this workshop, we will work with the HHMI IE3 STEM Commuter Workgroup to discuss their unique challenges and brainstorming sustainable solutions.

Presenter: Dr. Karen Schmeichel, Oglethorpe University

“Fostering Mentoring Networks for Supporting Student Success”

Turner Lynch Campus Center – Intercultural Center

Research shows that when colleges and universities create intentional mentoring relationships with students, this can have a significant impact on student retention, persistence, and graduation. This fact holds true especially for first generation college students. Join us as we explore how fostering mentoring networks impact and support student success.

Presenters:

Dr. Vivian A Medrano, Senior Director of Student Success – Oglethorpe University

Helen Bond, Student Success Advisor – Oglethorpe University

“Understanding and Supporting Undocumented and First-Gen Students”

Turner Lynch Campus Center  Intercultural Center

U-Lead Athens is a 501 c3 education nonprofit that serves immigrant families in Northeast Georgia toensure individuals have access to higher education. In this session, U-Lead Athens students and volunteers will speak in a panel format about their experience in the college admissions process as immigrant students and children of immigrant families.

Presenter: Betina Kaplan, Co-Founder & Co-Director – U-Lead Athens

“Wake Work,” Disability Justice, and Restorative/Transformative Justice as Frameworks for Care in Practice

TLCC Trustee Room

Taking meditations on “wake work,” disability justice, and restorative and transformative justice as frameworks for care in practice, this presentation describes the ways in which each theoretical framework can be broadly applied to the subject of ensuring access for first-generation students, and, more specifically, how these frameworks are used to inform the interventions, strategies, and practices of three student affairs programs at Oglethorpe University.

Presenters:

Natasha Byrd, Associate Director, Student Wellness – Oglethorpe University

Jessica Winestock, Assistant Director, First-Generation & Student Support – Oglethorpe University

“The Power of Preparation” *Student-Oriented*

Turner Lynch Campus Center Game Room

Mrs. Harris is a nationally recognized transformational leader and economic empowerment visionary. In her workshop, she will continue to drive the idea that exposure brings us closer.

Presenter: Carrie Harris, President & CEO – D&E, A Housing & Economic Empowerment Center, Inc.

“The Oglethorpe University C. Elegans Pipeline CURE Offers first-generation students easy access to authentic research experiences and supports their success in STEM careers”

Turner Lynch Campus Center – Room 225

The C. elegans Pipeline CURE makes research available to all interested Oglethorpe Biology students. Pipeline courses are also program requirements and thus first-generation students can easily access research in the state-of-the-art field of epigenetics. In this panel, Pipeline stakeholders will discuss the broader impacts of this program on first-generation students.

Presenter: Dr. Karen Schmeichel, Professor of Biology – Oglethorpe University

Pick up lunch in the Turner Lynch Campus Center private dining room.

“Biology Majors and Oglethorpe University’s C. Elegans Pipeline CURE”

Turner Lynch Campus Center – Room 225

As first-generation Biology majors from Oglethorpe’s C. elegans Pipeline CURE we have explored how genomes are regulated epigenetically, or “above the DNA code.” Our research shows that two genes, wdr-5 and jhdm-1, work epigenetically to regulate chemosensation in adult worms in a way that is relevant to human neuroatypias.

Presenter: Mackenzie Roberson ’24 – Oglethorpe University

“Tell: Writing Best Practices for First Generation Students”

Turner Lynch Campus Center – Intercultural Center

This panel of educators and current first-generation students will examine the landscape of writing for college, include rhetorical awareness, research, and how to use AI to the best advantage.

Presenter: Dr. James Iredell, Lecturer, Core Studies – Oglethorpe University

Lupton Auditorium

“A Talk with Rachel Gable”

Hearst Hall – Room 215

In this session, attendees will have the opportunity to chat with Rachel Gable about her research and talk in a small group setting.

Presenter: Rachel Gable, Director of Institutional Effectiveness – Virginia Commonwealth University

“First Generation Fluency”

Hearst Hall – Room 103

“First Generation Fluency” will focus on the importance of postsecondary advising for first generation students as they transition from high school to postsecondary. The session will feature an overview of OneGoal programming in Metro Atlanta, followed by a panel discussion with current OneGoal Fellows detailing their journeys towards enrollment and continued persistence.

Presenters:

Cortney Duritsa Lockhart, Managing Director of Program – OneGoal Metro Atlanta

Makayla Mincey, Manager of Postsecondary Support – OneGoal Metro Atlanta

“Their Voice, Their Experience”

Hearst Hall – Room 101

In this panel, hear about three different First-Generation student experiences.

Presenters: Kaniya Freeman, Dr. Kate Marsden, and Olga Ramsey, Oglethorpe University

Moderator: Jessica Winestock, Oglethorpe University

“First-Year Seminar: Policies and Practices for First Generation Students”

Hearst Hall – Room 112

First-Generation students are faced with academic, financial, and cultural challenges. The First-Year Seminar at Oglethorpe University plays a role in the development of policies and practices to help them deal with those challenges. In this workshop, we will discuss policies and practices that we use, which can be applied to the larger university scale as a whole.

Presenters:

Dr. Jaclyn McWhorter, Lecturer, Core Studies and Faculty Fellow, Teaching & Learning Institute for Inclusive Innovation – Oglethorpe University

Dr. Mariel Meier, Associate Professor of Physics, Division 3 Chair,  and Faculty Liaison for First Year Seminar– Oglethorpe University

“Teaching the Hidden Curriculum”

Hearst Hall – Room 101

The “Hidden Curriculum” includes the unwritten rules and assumed norms that govern the academic environment. This workshop session will help participants develop strategies to both teach the “hidden curriculum” and build an inclusive classroom that de-emphasizes these unwritten rules. Presented in collaboration with Oglethorpe’s Teaching and Learning Institute for Inclusive Innovation.

Presenter: Dr. Andrew Walden, Asst. Professor of Organic Chemistry and Program Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Institute for Inclusive Innovation – Oglethorpe University

“Investing in Community-Based Support for Undocumented Students”

Hearst Hall – Room 103

Advocates from FWD.us will outline opportunities for higher education institutions to develop community-based social support systems for undocumented students. We will touch on peer support, mentorship, family engagement, and thinking creatively about supporting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients as DACA remains under threat.

Presenter: Ali Procopio, Director of Education & Workforce, Immigration – FWD.us

“Being Scrappy: Practical Career Advice for First-Gen Professionals” *Student-Oriented*

Hearst Hall – Room 105

An interactive presentation intended to get students and their advocates thinking about the unique challenges first-gen professionals face as they begin their careers and adjust to professional environments, as well as create an environment for students to share their own experiences.

Presenter: Augustine Jimenez, Program Associate, Scholarship and Affordability – Achieve Atlanta