The W celebrates First-Gen Week
Mississippi University for Women is celebrating first generation students during First-Gen Week, Nov. 10-14. A first-gen student is a student whose parents or guardian did not complete a bachelor’s degree.
“First-Generation students make up over half of The W’s student body, and the entire campus community is committed to helping them blaze this new trail,” said Dr. Clear Moore, director of the Student Success Center at The W. “We chose a western theme for this year’s events in the spirit of these student pioneers.”
This year’s celebration is called “Saddle Up for Student Success: First-Gen Celebration Week.”
The planning for this year’s celebration has been largely student-led with the now two cohorts of First-Generation Student Ambassadors, a scholarship program, as well as Lowndes FYRST Leaders, a program funded through the Columbus Rotary Club, taking the lead.
Festivities will kick off Monday, Nov. 10 with the Pioneer Pancake Breakfast from 8-10 a.m. in Reneau Hall. The first day will close with Barnyard Board Games from 5-7 p.m. in the lobby of Fant Memorial Library.
Tuesday’s events begin at 5 p.m. with “Wrangling Up the Bucks: Financial Literacy & Salary Negotiation,” in the Gail P. Gunther Room at Fant Library. Wild West Dodgeball will begin at 5:15 p.m. in the Stark Recreation Center. This will close out Tuesday’s events.
Wednesday offers a preparedness event with Saddle Bag Survival Kits for Final Exams from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Hogarth Dining Hall.
Thursday will feature a full slate of events, beginning with “Trailblazers Roundup: A Salute to First-Gen Seniors” at 4 p.m. in Poindexter Hall.
The day will close out with the Cowboy Cookout Tailgate from 5-6 p.m. on the Pohl Gym lawn.
The celebration concludes on Friday with the First-Gen Flannel Fiesta: Food, Fun and Flannel from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in Reneau Hall room 402.
The celebration is part of a larger effort by The W to focus on first-gen students, making sure they are successful in their endeavor to earn a degree.