More than 7,000 of Wayne State University’s undergraduate students — including 42% of the 2024 incoming class — are first-generation college students, defined as students who are the first in their family to attend college. In recognition of Wayne State’s first-generation students, faculty and staff, the university will host the inaugural First-Gen Fest Wednesday, Nov. 13. The event is planned around the First-Generation College Celebration, which is observed across the country Nov. 8 in honor of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
First-Gen Fest, a collaborative effort led by Warrior 360, the Dean of Students Office, the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement, and Housing and Residential Life, will include opportunities to network, discuss the first-generation experience, connect with resources and socialize. First-generation students, faculty, staff and allies are encouraged to complete a form to get connected and stay up to date as the Division of Academic Affairs works to raise awareness and build a more intentional first-generation community on campus.
“Wayne State University is an engine of opportunity. We have a long, proud history of breaking down barriers and providing equitable access to higher education,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Laurie Lauzon Clabo, Ph.D., who is also a first-generation college graduate. “Earning a Wayne State degree can have transformative, generational impact. We are proud to support so many first-generation students on their way to productive careers and prosperous futures, and to have so many first-generation faculty and staff whose experiences embody our mission to accelerate mobility.”
Wayne State was recently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top university in the nation, in part because of social mobility and post-graduation opportunities afforded to students. Like many of her peers, first-generation student Gabrielle McDowell, a senior majoring in psychology, is pursuing a Wayne State degree with plans to build a successful career. She selected Wayne State because of the comprehensive support for students, especially those who may be the first in their circle to attend college.
“I chose the university where I could get the most help,” said McDowell, who works at the advising center between classes. “Here, it’s not just the financial aid support; Wayne State had a ton of programs and resources to guide me. It’s been a really positive experience. People on campus want me to do well and are all in on supporting me. It’s made a huge difference.”
Many Wayne State faculty and staff members are first-generation college graduates, too, drawn to the university’s culture of inclusion and support, including Vice Provost for Student Success, Support and Engagement Darryl Gardner, Ph.D., a three-time Wayne State alumnus.
“Being the first in your family to walk this path requires courage, strength and resiliency, and we want the campus community to recognize its first-generation students, faculty and staff as trailblazers,” he said. “For a long time, being a first-generation college student has been viewed with a bit of a stigma — almost as though it was some kind of deficit or problem to be addressed. At Wayne State, it’s a point of unity and pride.”
The university’s commitment to social mobility resonates with the personal experiences of many faculty and staff, including Silvia Giorgini, professor of teaching and director of Italian language courses in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
“If it weren’t for my education, I wouldn’t have had so many of the most important opportunities in my life. Because I went to college, I’m doing what I love to do,” said Giorgini, who remains the first and only person in her family to graduate from college. “As a teacher, the best thing is getting to see our students figure out their dreams and then make them come true. To see them go on to do what they love and become lawyers, teachers, doctors — it’s so rewarding. A college degree makes that possible.”