Ramapo College Opens First-Generation Student Center to Serve a Changing Student Demographic

By Nicole Videla, Director of Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) & Academic Success and Uma Mahalingam ’18, Assistant Director, First-Generation Student Center  |  Winter 2023

In Fall 2022, Ramapo College welcomed the largest first-generation student class in its history, with 40% of the incoming Class of 2026 identifying as first-generation college students. Ramapo defines a first-generation student as an undergraduate student enrolled who will be the first person in their family to graduate and earn a bachelor’s degree.

The percentage of first generation students enrolling at Ramapo has been increasing consistently over the last few years and efforts to support first-generation student success at Ramapo date back to 2018 where the Minority Faculty Staff Association (MFSA) started the conversation about providing additional resources for first-generation students. These conversations served as a catalyst to establish Ramapo’s First-Generation Action Team in 2019. This team was composed of more than 60 faculty and staff committed to identifying the needs of Ramapo’s first-generation students while establishing support systems across campus.

The advocacy of the First-Generation Action Team led to the First-Generation Student Center being proposed and approved through a Priority Needs Proposal as part of the College’s Strategic Planning Process. The approval of this proposal led to additional funding from the Opportunity Meets Innovation Challenge (OMIC) grant from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. This grant provided funding to hire the Center’s inaugural assistant director, Uma Mahalingam, and a first-generation counselor, Jacklin Kurter.

Ramapo proudly opened the First-Generation Student Center in Fall 2022, serving the increasing needs and population of all first-generation students and those who will become Roadrunners in future years. The Center is dedicated to providing intentional support and resources such as a summer bridge program which will help students transition from high school to college, as well as a dedicated Assistant Director to lead student programming efforts that cultivate a sense of belonging to Ramapo. The Center will provide a website and training opportunities for faculty and staff to increase awareness and better support the experiences of first-generation students and their families. In an effort to support and recognize first-generation students’ academic achievements, Ramapo will also induct their first members into the Alpha, Alpha, Alpha (Tri-Alpha) first-generation honor society as part of the Zeta Nu chapter at Ramapo College in Spring 2023.

In November, Ramapo was awarded the First-Generation College Celebration grant opportunity from the Center for First-Generation Student Success and Council for Opportunity in Education (COE). This grant provided funds allowing Ramapo to host a First-Generation College Celebration Proclamation to recognize the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965. At the proclamation, President Jebb honored the contributions of Ramapo’s first-generation community and declared November as First-Generation College Celebration Month at Ramapo College. During the event first-generation students like Ivonne Marie Ovalles ’24 and Naydelin Reyes Rodriguez ’25 shared testimonies of their lived experiences as first-generation students.

Reyes Rodriguez, a second-year, first-generation business management major, spoke about her experience as she navigated the college environment as a native Spanish speaker from Guatemala. She shared the importance of connecting with others in her community to ensure her success in college. She shared her experiences participating in a first-generation mentoring program, GlobalMindED, and lauded the support of opening the First-Generation Student Center, “Attending college is a long journey with obstacles and drawbacks, but it is a journey that we have the power to change. The efforts of today’s proclamation and the new First-Generation Student Center is to create a stronger community for first-gen students at Ramapo.”

President Cindy Jebb concluded, “Ramapo College’s commitments to mentorship, student well-being, and inclusion shall continue to provide a rich foundation from which our first-generation students are able to grow, succeed, and reach their full potential.” With the support of President Jebb and campus community, the First-Generation Student Center aims to create meaningful learning opportunities that cultivate a sense of belonging and ultimately lead our first-generation Roadrunners to graduation and beyond.

For more information about the First-generation Student Center please email firstgen@ramapo.edu or visit ramapo.edu/first-gen/

About the Authors

Uma Mahalingam ’18