Fort Scott, KS. — Fort Scott Community College’s TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program will be celebrating First-Generation College Celebration Day on November 8, 2021.
“First-Generation College Celebration Day is a day to recognize and celebrate the bravery and tenacity of first-generation college students,” says Holli Mason, Director of TRIO SSS at FSCC.
First Generation College students are students who are the first in their families to attend college.
In 2017, the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the Center for First-Generation Student Success (Center) launched the inaugural First-Generation College Celebration.
COE and the Center said, “We are particularly excited to elevate the celebratory efforts of the community and technical colleges, and Minority-Serving Institutions, as these institutions serve and graduate a significant proportion of first-generation students.”
FSCC TRIO is participating by hosting an inspirational speaker, Juan Cangas from CoolSpeak. He will speak to students about making smart decisions and decisions that will make a positive difference in their lives.
“Student morale starts to drop towards the end the semester, so we thought this would be a great pick-me-up to motivate students to finish the semester strong,” says Stacy Bishop, a TRIO Advisor and chairperson for FSCC First-Generation College Celebration Day.
“We will be sharing motivational quotes, highlighting First Gen students, faculty, and staff, and hosting a reception following Juan’s presentation,” explains Bishop.
Mason explains how important TRIO programs are to Bourbon County, Ft. Scott, and FSCC:
“Nationally, approximately 1/3 of students seeking higher education are first generation students. 54% of FSCC students are first gen, and 80.8% of Bourbon County residents over age 25 have not obtained a bachelor’s degree.”
TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) is a federally funded program that provides academic support to 150 eligible students enrolled at Fort Scott Community College. SSS provides the following services to all members, free of charge: mentoring, academic advising, personal coaching, transfer and scholarship assistance, campus visits, cultural events, tutoring services, and workshops.