LI colleges welcoming 'first generation' learners with support programs

As an incoming freshman at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, Lindsey Duarte plans to pursue a degree in architecture.

She’s the first in her family to go to college and credits the school with helping her navigate living in a residence hall, her academic options and financial aid.

"I thought this was a pretty good opportunity for me," said Duarte, 18, of Danbury, Connecticut, whose parents are from Guatemala. "I’m really excited about this ... and excited to meet new people."

Duarte is among the thousands of students known as "first generation" learners who will be attending four-year colleges and universities in New York and on Long Island this fall. Some Long Island schools have reported that about a third of their undergraduates are first generation, and have support programs and services for this group to help them reach graduation.

Experts say this group can face unique challenges, such as a lack of financial security and a sense that they don’t belong. They also can have responsibilities at home that may deter their academic progress. National research has shown they are more likely to leave college in their first year and have a lower graduation rate than their peers.

The term "first-generation student" is widely used in higher education to describe students from families who have limited or no college experience. Some schools define first-generation students as those whose parents didn’t attend college at all or those whose parents attended but did not graduate.

"Serving first-generation students is core to SUNY's mission and a key element of SUNY history," said John King, chancellor of the State University of New York system.

As of 2020, 54% of undergraduate students in the United States identified as first generation, defined as an undergraduate whose parents do not have a bachelor's degree, according to FirstGen Forward, formerly known as the Center for First-generation Student Success in Washington, D.C.

Many of SUNY’s 64 campuses have initiatives in place for stronger engagements with first-generation students. In September, SUNY officials announced expansion of a plan called Accelerate, Complete and Engage (ACE) for 12 four-year campuses, including Farmingdale State College. That program provides help to close opportunity gaps, offering supports such as tuition waivers; funding to offset transportation and textbook expenses; academic assistance; personalized advisement; and career development activities. It's designed to assist low-income as well as first-generation students.

"We want to make sure that when first-generation or low-income students come to campus that they are successful," King said.

Hofstra recognized as leader

Since 2019, Hofstra University has been recognized as a leader nationwide by FirstGen Forward — a distinction given to colleges that have demonstrated a commitment to improving the experiences and advancing outcomes of first-generation students.

At Hofstra, the initiative to strengthen outreach, recruitment and retention of first-generation students started with a task force in 2015 and has grown to incorporate an Office of First Generation Engagement, which opened in October.

At Hofstra, about 34% of incoming students in the past two years were first generation.

There’s a residence hall for first-generation students, several programs that connect first-generation faculty with students, and events throughout the year that recognize this group. Their graduation rate is 51%.

"We are well above the national average — more than double it," said Russ Smith, Hofstra's director of first-generation support and engagement. "At the same time, we recognize that we can be doing better and we must be doing better for our students."

At Farmingdale State, about 30% of the undergraduate student body is made up of first-generation students, and the school’s new president, Robert S. Prezant, is first generation.

The college has several efforts underway to acclimate students to campus, including a summer bridge program in which freshmen stay on campus and attend classes for 2-4two to four weeks, said Janice Rivera, executive director of academic support and access programs. The no-cost program is not open only to prequalified first-generation students, but includes a fair number of that group.

The one-year retention rate among all first-time, full-time baccalaureate students who entered college in fall 2022 was 81%, and 85% for first-generation students.

"The onus is on us to help the student make a difficult transition to college life," said Rivera, who was the first in her family to earn a degree. "Often students can struggle, particularly the first-generation students who can suffer from impostor syndrome and they question, ‘Do I really belong here?’ "

'Dealt with impostor syndrome'

Mekayla Foote, 22, graduated with a degree in computer science from New York Tech in May and said she had asked herself similar questions.

"I was a first-generation student, a Black woman, an immigrant from Jamaica going into a STEM-related major. It was hard," she said. She started during the COVID-19 pandemic when classes were online. "I dealt with impostor syndrome — like I didn’t deserve to be here."

Foote said on-campus support helped her succeed.

A graduate of Uniondale High School in 2020, she was not sure where she was going to college. Her track coach talked to the coach at New York Tech and she was able to attend on an athletic scholarship. When the season was canceled because of COVID, the school honored her scholarship and helped with financial aid, too. She joined clubs, holding a leadership role in several, and became close with the campus’ Office of Student Life.

"If I was confused and needed help, they had the right person to guide me," she said. Graduation day, she said, "was the best day of my life."

She works now as a digital leadership development program associate for GE Appliances in Louisville, Kentucky.

New York Tech honored Foote and all of its first-generation students at graduation with blue and gold cords for the first time in May. It’s a tradition that will stick, officials there said.

Tiffani Hinds, associate provost for the Office of Student Engagement and Development, said resources range from support sessions on financial aid for first-gen students to a new initiative this year, entitled 1st Gen Voices, featuring first-gen students interviewing university staff that is shared live on social media.

The school has a standing committee that "really thinks about the first-generation student experience, and then we try to think of ways in which we can provide resources to them," Hinds said.

Up to 35% of the student body there — some 280 to 300 students — are first generation, and the retention rate among both groups is the same, said Joseph Posillico, vice president for enrollment management.

"That's important to us, because we are trying to get the student from applying and enrolling all the way to graduation," he said.

About a third of Stony Brook University’s undergraduate student body is considered first generation, and that number has remained consistent over the past decade, according to Kelly Drossel, senior director of media relations.

The school has a website presence just for first-generation students, a specific welcome week each fall for this population, and has launched two research projects related to first-gen students.

There are advisers on campus available, too. The school was just recognized by FirstGen Forward.

About 30% of SUNY Old Westbury students are first generation, and the school has resources for this group, including peer mentor programs. They are in the process of hiring a first-generation student specialist.

St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue reported that 37% identified as first-generation students in 2023. Molloy University in Rockville Centre reported that 22% of its undergraduates are first generation.

By Joie Tyrrell

joie.tyrrell@newsday.com@JoieTyrrell

Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.