Skip to main content

First-Generation Students Celebrate Successes



To commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the Higher Education Act, this week SLCC is joining institutions across the country in celebrating first-generation students. Check out our Instagram feed (saltlakecc) for more inspiring stories as well as our blog post on first-gen student Brooklyn Sumner. #celebratefirstgen



The free pizza, candy, cupcakes, drinks, t-shirts and swag may have drawn people in, but many who stopped by the First-Generation Student Celebration at Salt Lake Community College’s Taylorsville Redwood Campus stayed to hear stories of trials and triumphs from actual first-generation students.

Last year the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Center for First-generation Student Success started the First-Generation College Celebration, with colleges and universities across the country, including SLCC, holding their own events.

During this year’s celebration, SLCC hosted a panel discussion that included first-generation students Sepa Faupula, Haley Nate and Jonathan Herrera, along with SLCC staffers Mequette Sorensen and Thanhtung Thantrong. All spoke about their own experiences and the support SLCC gives to first-gen students.

Pictured: Sepa Faupula (l-r), Haley Nate, Jonathan Herrera, Mequette Sorensen, Thanhtung Thantrong

Panelists also shared similar stories about the struggles that come from not having family members who fully understand or appreciate the sacrifices of time and money that must be made when pursuing a college degree. Sorensen encouraged students in the room to seek help from the college. “I’m here for those of you who might be afraid,” she said. “I do and can speak out for you. If you need support, please come to us. There are many people like myself who say, ‘We are here for you.’ If you need support or tutoring, you come to us. Please, don’t quit. We’re all examples that you can make it. Please, believe in yourself, even if your parents were not college graduates. You can make it on your own and with the help of all of us.”

Below are photos from the celebration.










Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Rev Up Your Future at SLCC Annuals Hop into College

SLCC West Valley Center will be opening its doors on Friday, August 2, from 6-9 pm for their annual lowrider event that celebrates the automotive culture and welcomes current, past, and future Bruins into the SLCC community. This unique event allows lowriders to showcase their vehicles and for spectators to witness the creativity, craftsmanship, and passion that goes into a lowrider car. From the sleek custom paint jobs to the impressive hydraulics showcased at the hop-off, attendees get immersed in the vibrant culture created by SLCC West Valley’s community. Beyond the car show, Hop into College provides prospective students and their families the opportunity to explore SLCC, engage with their future peers, staff and faculty and obtain valuable insight into the degrees and programs offered. Furthermore, the community is provided with countless beneficial resources not only as an SLCC student but as a community member. Whether interested in learning more about the lowrider community o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Recognizing SLCC's 2025 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Andrew Vogt, PhD Associate Professor, Engineering

The Distinguished Faculty Lecturer is a recognition of quality work by one of Salt Lake Community College’s full-time faculty and a charge to develop that work over an academic year into a public presentation. A committee chosen by the Associate Provost for Learning Advancement selects the faculty lecturer each year. The lecture takes place in the spring. Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Andrew Vogt, PhD Associate Professor, Engineering Dr. Andrew Vogt’s teaching philosophy is guided by two principles, curiosity and efficiency.  “Curiosity leads us to study a topic and allows us to really understand the ins and outs of research, while efficiency is all about sustainability,” he says. Andrew describes curiosity as a pure, open-minded impulse to explore, such as the ease with which children learn new concepts with virtually no instruction. Efficiency adds maturity to that childlike impulse, creating structures and pathways for accomplishment.  Andrew’s work has alwa...
Post a Comment
Read more

SLCC All Access

Did you know you can access SLCC lab software for free from your own computing device?   Come learn how SLCC is supporting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) with All Access. The goal of All Access is to provide any time, any place, and any device access to college computing and lab software SLCC students, faculty and staff.  All Access works on almost any device from a PC or Mac, to tablets and smart phones.  With All Access you can use programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, AutoCAD, MatLab, Mathematica, MyITLab, NetBeans, and online Library Databases.  We also provide you with online storage space so you can save your files in the cloud and have access to them wherever you are.  Anyone is welcome to this session where we will cover the basics of All Access, give you some tips and tricks for getting the most out the system, and we’ll also have some people there to help get your computer set up.  When and where: ...
1 comment
Read more