Virginia Tech turned its focus to first generation college students at the beginning of this academic year by hiring Charmaine Troy, PhD, to take the lead on providing support for this large group of students who populate the campus. 

 

Troy started by working with admissions to define who qualifies as a first gen college student.

 

“There wasn’t a clear [definition] when I first got here,” Troy said. “We define it as a student whose parent or guardian has not attended a four year university or college.” 

 

Troy further elaborated and clarified that a student identifies as first gen if one or both parents or guardians has not had college experience.

 

Key components of the first gen support initiative include student outreach at admissions events, hosting a podcast that will launch in March titled VT First Generation Unscripted, biweekly First Generation Support Groups with Cook Counseling and First Generation Celebration Week. 

 

Another component of the initiative are VT First Gen Allies. This is a cohort of faculty and staff that work at Virginia Tech in a wide variety of capacities who were first generation college students. According to a survey Troy sent out, 256 faculty and staff members were first generation college students and 156 are now VT First Gen Allies. 

 

Danitza Backus, senior director of institutional effectiveness and accreditation at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, is one of the VT First Gen Allies. Backus discussed the implications her Generation X identity had on her overall first generation college student experience.

 

“Even though I was first gen, everything for Gen X was new and innovative,” Backus said. “[Now] I can Google my way through everything and [there are] more options, like online classes. I didn’t have that option.” 

 

Backus entered the Navy after graduating high school where her education was paid for. Backus also discussed the variety of cheaper alternatives students have now that she didn’t, such as online classes. According to Inside Higher Ed, earnings and educational attainment go hand-in-hand. The first generation college student identity does not stand alone. Each first gen experience is different based on the other identities a person possesses.