The national celebration, now in its third year, recognizes the success of those who are the first in their families to attend college.
Stop by the Moseley Center throughout the day on Friday, Nov. 8, to participate in the national First-Generation College Celebration, an annual recognition of the success of college students, faculty and staff who were the first in their families to attend college.
Elon’s Center for College Access and Success will be handing out cupcakes in Moseley as well as information about first-generation college students. First-generation students who stop by are being offered a “First-Gen” T-shirt.
The national First-Generation College Celebration was launched in 2017 by the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Center for First-Generation Student Success. Nov. 8 was selected as the day for the celebration to honor the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which was intended to help increase access to a college education for those from minority and low-income backgrounds.
Elon this year expanded its support resources for first-generation students in part through the creation of a new position in the Center for Access and Success. Oscar Miranda ’17 joined the center this year as an assistant director and is focused on supporting first-generation college students who are not in a cohort, such as the Honors Fellows or Odyssey Program. An Odyssey Program scholar, Miranda was the first in his family to graduate from college and returned to Elon after earning a master’s degree in education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.
Additional information about Elon’s programs for first-generation students is available here.