Breaking
new
ground
is
never
easy,
but
each
year,
BW
welcomes
dozens
of
students
seeking
to
become
the
first
in
their
families
to
earn
a
college
degree.
According to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), a student is considered "first-generation" if their "parent(s) did not complete a four-year college or university degree, regardless of other family members' level of education."
Without first-hand, family experience, many first-generation college students face unique challenges on the road to earning a degree. But with support services designed to meet their needs and foster success, Baldwin Wallace University students are blazing trails to graduation every year.
This
fall,
one-quarter
of
BW
first-year
students
were
"first-gen,"
and
Jamia
"Mia"
Basit-Hightower
'25
of
Bedford,
Ohio,
is
one
of
them.
The political science major, who aspires to be a policy analyst, juggles jobs on and off campus, activities and classes, and she is determined to finish her degree.
Being unafraid to ask for guidance is key. "Everyone at BW has been very supportive. Whenever I ask a question, I get a lot of willingness to help," Basit-Hightower says. "I was drawn to that energy when I first visited campus and experienced the personal connections."
Now a campus tour guide herself and a member of the Yellow Jackets Marching Band, Voices of Praise Gospel Choir and Circle K service club, Basit-Hightower says she works "extra hard" to stay in balance. "I just make it happen," she says.
This
week,
BW
is
marking
National
First-Generation
College
Student
Day
by
showcasing
and
celebrating
the
achievements
of
first-generation
students
and
graduates
at
BW
and
beyond,
from
familiar
Yellow
Jackets
to
the
famous
from
first
lady
Michelle
Obama
to
renowned
Nobel
Prize-winning
physicist
Albert
Einstein.
The list of first-generation students and graduates runs deep and wide at BW and includes many students and alumni as well as faculty and staff who have walked in the shoes of first-gen students. Among them is BW President Bob Helmer, who shared his story with first-gen students at a Tuesday event.
Helmer encouraged students to ask questions to help them navigate higher education, the very practice that is fueling Basit-Hightower's first-semester success.
"I bet I asked every question you have when I was a student," Helmer said. "Know that when you have questions, we are here to help."
