El Camino College was recently named the only community college in the leadership component of a nationwide program designed to support the success of first-generation college students. A participant in an inaugural cohort of First Forward Institutions, ECC is also the only campus out of the 115 California Community Colleges to participate in this new and innovative program. The First Forward designation from the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of the NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and The Suder Foundation, recognizes institutions of higher education that have shown a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of first-generation college students. The Center recognized early in the application process that a select number of institutions demonstrated a long-standing commitment to first-generation student success through systemwide and programmatic efforts. Through this demonstrated commitment and ability to serve as mentors to other selected institutions, nine institutions – including El Camino College – were tapped to serve in a leadership capacity for First Forward.
As a First Forward Institution, select ECC faculty and staff will have access to opportunities to engage with peer and aspirational institutions that are also creating environments geared toward first-generation students. El Camino College will also send representatives to the First Forward Workshop in Orlando this June and will participate in monthly phone calls, virtual professional development, goal setting, blog development, annual reporting, and more.
First-Gen Efforts at ECC: The First-Gen Initiative was established in 2017 to help guide efforts in providing support for students whose parents did not graduate from a four-year college or university. Professional development opportunities and activities for students, faculty and staff have been implemented since then, with additional events planned for the future.
Recent first-gen activities at El Camino College included the First-Gen Faculty Campaign, a conference for faculty that covered topics that many first-gen students experience, such as academic impostor syndrome, hidden curriculum, and first-gen intersectionality. The college's First-Gen Task Force, made up of faculty, staff, students, and administrators, coordinates additional efforts such as the inaugural First-Generation College Day. A First-Gen Symposium last month offered more than 150 students the chance to network with other first-generation students and professionals, and a First-Gen Awareness Week in fall 2018 was full of activities where students, faculty, staff, and college leaders had the opportunity to engage with, advocate for, and support the ECC first-gen community. A successful First-Gen STEM Dinner for students was also part of the festivities.
"More than half of all ECC students and close to 80% of South Bay Promise students identify as first-generation students, so it's important to build a network to help this student group succeed," said ECC graduate and counselor Cynthia Mosqueda, who has led many of the college's first-gen efforts. "Being first in your family often comes with many challenges and it's important to create student programming that both supports and celebrates their first-gen status."