New Program Helping First-Generation Students

03/24/2006

When Robin Posey was considering attending the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, she heard about a new program being offered by the school and Saint John’s University, Collegeville.

Little did she know how much it would help her – and 13 other CSB/SJU first-year students.

The I-LEAD program (I-LEAD is an acronym for Intercultural Leadership, Education and Development) provides scholarships to reduce or eliminate loans for low-income students. In addition, academic, social and leadership guidance is given to students.

“The program has helped me create a support system among my fellow I-LEAD fellows and also among the staff that works with us,” said Posey, a first-year student from St. Paul, Minn., who graduated from Humboldt High School. She is the first person in her immediate family to attend college. “I know that if I have a problem of some sort, I can go to anyone of them without a second thought.”

The idea of the program was first broached about three or four years ago, according to Seth Snyder, assistant director of admission at CSB/SJU.

“We saw a huge need for low-income, first-generation kids getting support in college,” Snyder said. “There were plenty of colleges who offered them scholarships, but not schools that helped them with the process, or once they got to college, wouldn’t help them with succeeding in college, staying in college and graduating.”

Modeled after programs like Upward Bound and Admission Possible, the CSB/SJU program was implemented by Snyder; Theresa Anderson, multicultural advisor in academic advising; Theresa McNutt, director of multicultural programs; and Mary Milbert, dean of admission and financial aid.

“We in admissions saw kids who were well-prepared, but not all of them were able to gain admission to college because they didn’t know how the admission process worked,” Snyder said. “And then, from the administration side, they saw a lot of kids who seemed ready, got in college and they didn’t succeed.”

The difference?           

“Kids who are the first in their family to attend a college have really different types of needs than students whose family has all gone to college,” Snyder said. “We didn’t fully understand the difficulties that first-generation college students face.”           

Snyder began searching for students with high grade-point averages with leadership traits and a demonstrated ability to test themselves and go further than the average student – or, in other words, “kids with great financial need who had performed well in high school,” Snyder said.

Those considered for the program come to the campuses for an interview (interviews and campus visits are currently underway for students interested in starting school fall semester 2006). They also visited classes and had a financial aid appointment. The program is funded internally by the schools.

Snyder expects to name between 12 and 15 students as program fellows each year. Fifteen students were selected to be the initial fellows in fall 2005; one student has since transferred to another college, leaving 14 students currently in the program.

Once selected, the students attend a three-day retreat before orientation begins that creates team building and leadership, and provides preparation tips for how college will be different than high school. They are divided into four symposium groups; monthly meetings are held. A budget is available for the students to attend national and international conferences. They also have built-in funding to help pay for study abroad costs.            

“The most beneficial part of the program … is the networking connections that I have made – getting to know people around campus and having them get to me,” Posey said.  “And, with the other fellows who are part of the program, I’m able to spend time with people who are sharing the same experiences as I am on campus.”

“We want them to leave here as student body president, as organization presidents,” Snyder said. “We want these 15 kids to be the leaders; 15 of the top 50 graduating seniors here every year.”

Snyder also hopes the I-LEAD students can “push for change” on the campuses.

“When they attend conferences, they will return to CSB/SJU with presentations and activities to involve the greater community in intercultural learning. When they join clubs, they bring a very intercultural focus to their work here, because they’re all actively involved with promoting the ideals of diversity in our communities,” Snyder said. “When they graduate and move on, they will be inspirations to their families and their home communities, helping bring CSB/SJU closer to low-income communities. When they make friends from other backgrounds here at CSB/SJU, they help promote conversations and awareness of social, ethnic, racial, religious and economic issues.”

“I think that I am more involved on campus then I would have been without the program,” Posey said. “I have had dinner with the presidents of both schools, and been to several leadership conferences.”           

Thanks to the I-LEAD program, she has been able to do that.