The Saint Mary’s College definition of a first generation college student is a person “who is the first in their family to attend college in the United States. There are twenty-one students in the “Setting the Foundation” class that are, under this definition, first generation and ten who are not. The purpose of this course is to give first generation college students a voice on campus and to share their experiences and knowledge. Their goal is to study and share their diverse counterstories of the “foundation generation” through the lenses of sociology and anthropology.
This website will chronicle first-generation students’ challenges and success in college, as well as their family history. Each individual research project was developed and collected in an academically rigorous way and complied into a shared collection to honor the legacy of the foundation generation as they pave the way for future generations of college students.
Other goals of this website are to enrich the SMC community by integrating the Foundation Generations’ efforts into our collective consciousness, support other first generation students launching their academic careers, link current students to future Gaels and SMC alumni, and continue the work of our founder Saint John Baptist De La Salle by outreaching to developing minds, offering education opportunities for those less likely to have access to it, and pursuing social justice.
St. John Baptist de La Salle in front of the St. Mary's Chapel.
Photo by Brenna Biggs |
