For the second year, UNC Charlotte will celebrate first-generation students by recognizing National First-Generation College Students Day on Sunday, Nov. 8. Colleges and universities across the country use this annual celebration to bring attention to the unique experiences first-gens encounter as they navigate college life.
While the definition of a first-generation student varies, UNC Charlotte students who are the first in their family to attend college at all or the first to attend a four-year institution might choose to identify as first-gen.
Those students, as well as faculty or staff who were first-gens, are invited to submit their stories on the I Am First website. Stories will appear in part or in full on the website and on social media.
“I’m a first-generation, low-income student, born and raised in Canada,” said Catrine Tudor-Locke, dean of College of Health and Human Services. “I am the youngest, and only girl, of six children. My father was a farmer, a soldier, a coal miner and a television repairman. My mother was pulled from high school to take care of her younger siblings and once she had her own family, never worked outside the home. My father passed away when I was 16, and I lost my mother when I was 23. I took my $1,400 inheritance and moved forward because that was the only option available. Advanced education was my opportunity, and I soon discovered that I was resilient and possessed the ability to reinvent myself with the support of many people in my life. As a result, I have enjoyed a great deal of personal and professional success, including becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2012. But my true joy now comes from inspiring, supporting and opening doors for students, faculty and staff in pursuit of their own success stories.”
UNC Charlotte students who identify as first-gens have the opportunity to join First Gen Niners, a student organization devoted to providing resources and support to first-generation students. To learn more about this organization, view upcoming meetings, and to join, visit the org on Niner Engage.
To read student, faculty and staff stories or to download door signs, button and sticker templates and social media graphics in support of UNC Charlotte’s first-gens, visit iamfirst.uncc.edu.