UNC Asheville hosted a day of events celebrating first-generation college students on Nov. 6.
Continuing a yearly tradition, the celebration featured a breakfast sandwich giveaway in the morning, a social gathering during lunch and a screening of “An Extremely Goofy Movie” in the evening.
Minnah Gaballah, a special populations coordinator for UNC Asheville, said the events were created from a place of passion for first-generation students, given that she is one. She said she wanted to give students an opportunity to relax, given how far along the semester is.
“We’re really passionate about making students feel welcome and safer on campus, especially when they haven’t been through this before,” Gaballah said. “Their parents haven’t been through this before, so they don’t know what to expect. It makes us happy to be able to make other students feel welcome.”
Gaballah mentioned that first-generation students have resources on campus to help with the range of challenges seen at college, such as the Academic Success Center and the Career Center.
“A lot of students face the challenges of feeling lost and not having help,” Gaballah said. “They don’t know that there are resources that can help them around campus, whether it’s mental or financial or those sorts of things.”
Hannah Ray, a first-generation student at UNC Asheville, said she’s connected with people on campus through events like this, whether with university employees or other students she already knew but didn’t realize were first-generation. She also mentioned connecting with other students who were going through the same struggles.
“It gives you an opportunity to meet people who are higher up, who know what you’re going through, like the people in the student engagement office,” Ray said. “It gives you an opportunity to put a name to the face of those people who send emails to students. You’ll recognize those people on campus, and you’ll know you can go to those people.”
Miles Owens, a fellow UNC Asheville student, said events like this are welcoming to all UNC Asheville students, even if they’re not part of the community. He said he felt welcomed at the first-generation event, despite not being a first-generation college student.
“I feel like one of the best things about having events like this is bringing awareness to people who are first-generation because you wouldn’t assume someone is first-generation immediately,” Owens said. “It’s like you’re bringing awareness to students who are not having an easy time and a support system can be built.”
Gaballah said she hopes first-generation UNC Asheville students are not alone, as events like this are meant to celebrate them and recognize their journey in college.
“College is hard, no matter if you’re a first-generation college student or not,” Gaballah said. “It’s always nice to remember that you’re young and a student and you’re here to have fun and learn.”
