This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Higher Education Act, and New Mexico State University will honor the milestone with several events celebrating first-generation college students, faculty and staff across the system.
NMSU’s seventh annual first-generation celebration will feature first-generation college students and graduates at a tabling event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, on the Las Cruces campus, at Corbett Center Student Union, first-floor lobby. Celebrity speakers will talk about their stories starting at 10:15 a.m. Students will have a chance to share first-generation experiences and advice for future first-generation students. Departments from across campus will participate in the celebration and offer first-generation information, cookies, T-shirts, buttons and photo props.
“We truly value our first-generation students,” said Marko Mohlenhoff, TRIO McNair Scholars Program director and first-generation celebration co-chair. “Often our first-gen students, even though they may come from a supportive family, don’t have anyone at home who truly understands the challenges they face in getting a degree. We want these students to know that we understand, and we’re here to support them. Many of us who work here at NMSU were the first generation in our families to get our college degree, so we understand firsthand what our first-gen students are experiencing, and we want to help them succeed.”
NMSU’s Las Cruces campus also will host two events for first-generation students. At 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10, Michael Kuechmann, Financial aid outreach adviser, will lead a FAFSA and Scholar Dollar$ Workshop at Corbett Center’s Otero Room. He will offer tips and information to help students secure their academic future. Online registration is available.
From 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, the Honors College First-Generation Open House will be held at the William Conroy Honors College. Students can learn about graduating with honors, fellowships, conducting research with faculty and attending graduate school. Pizza and giveaways will be available. Online registration is available.
“Not only do we fulfill our land-grant mission by celebrating the first-generation students in our lives, but we also hold them up for all students to see so they know they’re not alone in their pursuit of a better life through education,” said Eli Valdez, degree audit specialist and first-generation celebration co-chair. “On the home page of the firstgen.nmsu.edu website, there’s a video montage in English and Spanish demonstrating how our first-gen students are going beyond financial rewards by honoring their pasts and creating new futures for themselves, their families and communities.”
Doña Ana Community College will host a first-generation celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the DACC Gadsden Center, 1700 Ohara Road in Anthony, New Mexico. Hosted by the Avanza Program, the event will begin with testimonials from first-generation students and will include free food, performances from a mariachi band, games and prizes.
NMSU Grants will host a first-generation celebration from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at its Cyber Café. Students can share their stories and connect with other first-generation students at the event that will include free food and T-shirts.
NMSU Alamogordo will host a First-Generation Day celebration from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, in the Student Union Building. The event will include a panel with faculty, staff and students sharing their first-generation experiences. Free first-generation buttons and T-shirts, along with cookout-inspired food served by Alamogordo food truck F&J Burgers, will be available.
NMSU first-generation college students, faculty, staff and alumni also will be featured in NMSU’s Hotline newsletter and on NMSU’s social media channels.
For more information, contact Mohlenhoff at markom@nmsu.edu or Valdez at evaldez1@nmsu.edu.
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CUTLINE: On the Las Cruces campus, New Mexico State University will host the seventh annual first-generation celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Corbett Center Student Union. NMSU TRIO Student Support Services Program Director Bernadine Booky, center, along with Francisco Soto, left, and Monica Cobos welcomed students to a previous first-generation celebration. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)