Last week Michigan Tech celebrated First-Generation College Student Week from Nov. 2 to Nov. 6. This event was hosted by the Student Support and Mentorship program. Throughout the week, the program held a range of events from a kick-off event to an Overcoming Imposter Syndrome workshop. This year was their first time hosting a whole week of events; in previous years they only celebrated the national First-Generation Celebration Day.
The week started with a First-Generation Student Week Kick-Off event at the Alumni House on Monday, Nov. 2. Students were able to stop for fresh donuts, coffee, and first-generation student merch. Later in the week, the program held the Overcoming Imposter Syndrome workshop on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the MUB Superior Room.
The Wednesday workshop was led by Julia Keleher, director for Student Support and Mentorship. As a first-generation college graduate herself, Keleher said the purpose of the event was for students to have conversations from all different kinds of backgrounds and give them the tools they need to succeed.
“The goal for First-Gen Week is really to celebrate and raise awareness about what it means to be first-gen here at Michigan Tech,” Keleher said. “We really wanted to show the campus community that first-gen students are powerful, and they deserve to be here, and that we want to celebrate them in their major accomplishments.”
Though the Overcoming Imposter Syndrome workshop had a smaller turnout than what was hoped, Keleher said it is just the beginning for a conversation the program wants to continually have on-campus.
Niko Johnson, a biological sciences student involved in Undergraduate Student Government and the Well-Being Advocates at Michigan Tech, said he was glad he was able to discover the event and plans to share similar events like this with his network in the future.
“This event provided a place for people to talk about doubts that they may have,” Johnson said. “Imposter syndrome seems to be nearly ubiquitous in a lot of academic circles, and having conversations is the way that people can realize that something that they’re experiencing is almost certainly not their own battle.”
Tahera Salman Almugabgab, a second-year biochemistry and chemical sciences student who isn’t a first-generation student, said the workshop was a great opportunity for anyone experiencing doubt because of the supportive community it offered. “Know that you’re not alone and seek out evidence for it,” Almugabgab said. “Talk to people about where they’re at in their journey. Know that there’s many paths to the same destination.”
The Student Support and Mentorship program additionally had tabling in the library on Thursday, Nov. 5, to hand out first-generation student T-shirts and buttons. After that on Friday, Nov. 6, first-generation students gathered for a group photo at the Husky Statue.
Keleher emphasized that campus resources are always available for students. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and first-generation resources are available from the Student Support and Mentorship at the Alumni House regardless of if a student is first-generation.
“You don’t have to feel like you have to be perfect, or the straight-A student, or the most involved student on campus to be a part of our campus community,” Keleher said. “They don’t need to pretend like they think they shouldn’t be here, because they should be here, and they should use all the resources they can.”
