By: Elena Panora-Jara
Contributor
For first-generation college students, navigating higher education can mean figuring out unfamiliar processes without the guidance of family who have been through it before.
“I’m the oldest sibling, so I’ve always had to be the first to do everything,” elementary education major Olivia Edwards, a freshman, said.
With National First-Generation College Celebration week, taking place from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8, it is important to recognize the first-generation population at the university.
In the university’s common data set for 2025-26, only 276 of the 621 first-generation students who started back in 2019 had graduated with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent by the end of August 2025.
The university kicked the week off by hosting various events throughout the week of Nov. 2.
The Buley Library is doing its part in celebrating the occasion by setting up a book display filled with resources first-generation students can use.
Education Librarian Karla Jones will be selecting books from the library’s collection to build the display on the first floor.
The setup is based on the online first-generation resource exhibit that has been available for about two years.
“This display is for you, about you, about people like you,” Life Sciences and Distance Learning Librarian and co-organizer of the online exhibit Rebecca Hedreen, said.
Built by Hedreen and Acquisitions Librarian Kari Swanson, the “First-Generation Special Collection” online exhibit is a resource page for first-generation students, by bringing different resources into one place.
This way, first-generation students and their families are offered information on navigating college, while university faculty and staff can learn how to support students whose families may not have prior college experience.
Nursing major Rikee Curtis, a senior, recognized the disadvantage first-generation students face.
“I know that I always have a lot of questions that I could ask my mom or dad,” Curtis said. “They can answer them because of the things that they’ve gone through.”
First-generation students have a unique set of academic, financial and emotional challenges compared to those whose parents completed at least a four-year college or university degree, as they have access to guidance and a level of understanding throughout their higher education career.
Though first-generation students like nursing major Aylin Estrada, a sophomore, said a collection like this could help students like her find resources to navigate school life and realize others share similar experiences.
“First-gen students can face a problem; maybe someone in the collection knows how to solve it,” Estrada said. “The community and support found can help each student.”
For Hedreen, the display is more than providing information; she hopes it will show the first-generation community that they are valued at the university.
The goal of the online exhibit and upcoming physical display is to convey a message to the first-generation community on campus: we want you here.
