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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.










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