By Sophia Schlegelmilch | Observer Contributor
Photo courtesy of MWCC
Panelists shared their experiences as first-generation students in November at the Gardner campus in celebration of National First-Generation College Students Day.
Current MWCC students Nicole Leeper and Janice Bergeron served as panelists alongside faculty and staff members Laurie Occhipinti, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts Education, Humanities and Communications; Margaret Jaillet, Assistant Dean of the School of Health Professions, Public Service Programs and Social Sciences; Briana Pena, Career Development Coach; and Train Wu, Academic Counselor for the Department of Access and Transitions. The discussion was moderated by Gaurav Khanna, Director of the Visions Program.
Members of the panel recalled the struggles they had to face during their college education, which included food poisoning, learning disabilities, difficulty with transportation and time management, and experiences with poverty and gangs. Wu offered advice for students who might be struggling, saying, “You have to know your ‘why’ when you want to quit. Your why’s got to big enough for you to stick around and to do what you intend to do.”
“The advice I’d give everyone,” said Pena, “is believe in yourself and find your support system.” She and the other panelists recommended that students seek out friends, family, professors, and programs such as TRIO and Visions, for support.
“The Mount has such a large support system,” agreed Bergeron. “Ask for help. Don’t quit. There are so many people on this campus who can be reached at literally the snap of a finger.”
All of the panelists agreed that their families played a role in inspiring them to overcome obstacles and finish college. Pena and Jaillet said their parents made education a priority in their lives, as did Occhipinti’s grandfather.
Wu, who came to the United States from Thailand at age 11, said he “did everything” for his mother, who never had a chance to get an education but worked hard to support him and his siblings.
Bergeron and Leeper said that their children gave them a reason to seek out higher education.
“This is a good opportunity for me, and for [my children] as well,” said Bergeron, a Human Services major and mother of five, “because I’m showing them, my children, that it doesn’t matter how long it’s been, that I can still succeed.”
Leeper, a Health Sciences major, also added, “It wasn’t just for my daughter, it was for myself, to prove to myself that I could do it.”
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