A Sense of Belonging

By Patrick Bohn ’05, November 10, 2021

Members of IC’s first-generation community mingle.

Shadayvia Wallace, program director for the MLK Scholar and First-Generation programs, gave an encouraging talk to the students, faculty, and staff at the First-Generation event.

(Photo by Ashley Bohn)

For first-generation college students, the adjustment to campus life can be challenging. That’s why, for many, finding a cohort among thousands of students can be so critical. The annual First-Generation Celebration Day, hosted this year on November 8 by the college’s First-Generation Center and student organization, offered IC community members a chance to do just that.

Along with a chance to mingle, student, faculty and staff attending the event were greeted with self-care packages featuring stress balls, fidget spinners and journals. There was also plenty of inspiration, in the form of encouraging notes from current and former members of the student organization left on miniature message boards, as well as “wishes” those students and alumni have for current first-generation students, which were left on notecards inside miniature mason jars that were adorned with inspirational quotes.

“Celebrations like this make me feel seen and acknowledged by the administration. Realizing that there’s a whole community of people like me is great, because it’s the people who you surround yourself with that matter.”

Sherleen Vargas ’23

“Today is a celebration of all of you,” said Shadayvia Wallace, program director for the MLK Scholar and First-Generation programs, to the crowd during the event. “You are all breaking barriers, and will continue to for years to come, by being here.”

The significance of the event was not lost on the students in attendance.

Images of the jars and sayings on the board.

The event featured miniature boards with inspirational messages from current and former members of the First Generation student organization.

“Celebrations like this make me feel seen and acknowledged by the administration,” said Sherleen Vargas ’23. “Realizing that there’s a whole community of people like me is great, because it’s the people who you surround yourself with that matter.”

Alexandar Ordonez ’25 shared a similar sentiment.

“It’s really about being able to find yourself. The social interactions you have with people who have different passions and dreams are so important,” he said. “And by sharing a space with them, you make friends who you’ll continue to run into at other events.”

The feelings of community and belonging weren’t just fostered by the people in the room, however. The positive messages visible throughout the event also served that purpose.

“At a day like this, you want people to be celebrated for all they’ve accomplished, but you also want others to know why they’re here, and that they are enough, and that they are worth it,” said Genesis Sanchez ’22 president of the First-Generation organization. “This group is a support program, and once you find your community, it makes it so much easier to push forward.”

Helping to establish that support is one of the goals of the First-Generation Program, which aims to provide a community for the 800 first-generation students on campus.

Students at the First-Generation celebration got a chance to connect with each other.

(Photo by Patrick Bohn)

“It’s important for us to have events like this so that students know that our office is here for them,” said Wallace.

“I wanted to come to support this event because there weren’t organizations like this when I was a first-generation student. Part of having that sense of belonging is knowing others who have gone through your experiences before you did. I feel a sense of pride for these students, proud that they’ve persevered through challenges and now have a space of their own.”

Marsha Dawson, director of Residential Life

Additionally, in attendance at the event were former first-generation students who now fill out the ranks of Ithaca College’s faculty and staff, such as Marsha Dawson, the college’s director of Residential Life.

“I wanted to come to support this event because there weren’t organizations like this when I was a first-generation student,” said Dawson, who enrolled at Eastern Connecticut State University when she was 15 years old. “Part of having that sense of belonging is knowing others who have gone through your experiences before you did. I feel a sense of pride for these students, proud that they’ve persevered through challenges and now have a space of their own.”