According to a webinar on “Who Do First-Generation College Students Turn to for Support?” (April 2024), presented by the Community College Research Center, when it comes to academic support, here are the top five groups that first-generation students turn to, with faculty members, at 21%, being last on this list. Why is this when we know, based on research, that interaction with faculty is an important factor for student success? Faculty members should be first on this list. The fact is that this research and other surveys of student engagement reflect the experiences of students who are in the dark!
The learning culture is very powerful, and it is an empowerment model. Above is what it means to know how to approach the learning in the learning culture. As highlighted in Other Strategies, students first interact with faculty using the Semester Kickoff strategy, which identifies steps for students to take before the semester begins to have a strong start to the semester. Here, students are advised to contact their professors to obtain the class syllabus in advance and begin doing Bullet Point Reading, also known as BPR, to prepare for the start of classes. One of my first-generation Latina students obtained the syllabus from her chemistry professor, and she completed the BPR for the first six chapters by the 1st day classes, then she completed the BPR for the entire semester by week 3. In the first class meeting, the professor asked for her by name, and asked, “Why did you want the syllabus?” Why? Because that’s what you do in the learning culture, professor. Clearly, he too was in the dark about the learning culture. My student was easily the top scholar in the chemistry class!
Also, “Hello my name is” is an important strategy in the learning culture for interacting with faculty. Here, students are trained to use this strategy to interact with their professors in office hours during week #1 by asking specific questions to learn about the class and begin building relationships. A Latino first-generation student joined my MESA program this semester, and he experienced the power of the hello my name is strategy. By using this strategy, he established a relationship with his professor at the start of the semester, in this way, the professor knew him, and my student felt a greater sense of belonging in the class. This was important because the student experienced personal challenges during the semester, which he shared with his professor, and my student was blown away as to how understanding and accommodating his professor was – all because a supportive relationship was first established between the student and professor!
And here is what it means to have a mindset for learning in the learning culture. This is the biggest and most important part of the learning culture. Give me a student with a strong mindset for learning, and I’m going to show you a successful student! The important factors highlighted above include self-advocacy, which means students must fight for themselves, and this is the opposite of being shy! Also emotional intelligence, mental toughness and goal focus are necessary for college readiness and success. In fact, emotional intelligence is not only important for academics; it is important for leadership. The learning culture is educational wealth, if this language of success and strategies for effectively approaching the learning are not present in our students’ environment, then how are they expected to succeed?
Now this is what true empowerment looks like in the bright light of the learning culture!
After earning an average grade on the first exam in Linear Algebra, Mr. Anthony (above left) shared, “I received a 90% on my 2nd exam through applying the learning culture, and by speaking with the professor, along with continued success, I will earn an A in the class!” More recently, he shared, “These past few weeks I’ve had to use self-advocacy and goal focus to get over some of the biggest hurdles of this semester, now that most of those hurdles have been overcome, it’s looking like smooth sailing for the rest of the semester. All that is left now is to continue forward and finish strong with finals!” Yes, that’s how it’s done in the learning culture! Mr. Anthony, the first-generation student who had self-doubts about his ability to succeed in trigonometry when he joined my MESA Program, has been accepted for a summer enrichment program at UC Berkeley, and he will transfer in fall 2025 in applied mathematics!
Here is another example of empowerment!
Ms. Barbara (middle) was a first-generation college student, and she never imagined going to a university nor was she aware of summer research programs, yet she participated in multiple summer programs before transferring in marine biology. While working in my office on an application for a summer program, she suddenly looked up and shared, “Boy Corner Man, these last two weeks I’ve had to work so hard on my emotional intelligence and mental toughness.” Absolutely! She is now a University of California San Diego graduate and a STEM professional!
And here is a final example of empowerment!
Ms. Dalila was a first-generation college student with the dream of becoming a physicist. Yet, after being challenged to pass trigonometry, she briefly stopped out of school before returning and finding the learning culture in my MESA Program. Here is her learning culture testimonial: “MESA has empowered me to achieve my potential. But being a MESA Creator has not only helped me to develop as a scholar, it has also helped me to develop as a leader. Some of the most inspirational wisdom from the MESA culture that I carry with me is emotional intelligence and mental toughness; nobody talks about it, but it’s absolutely necessary in the classroom, and it is expected in the professional environment.” She truly owns the learning culture. She succeeded in graduating from UC Berkeley in physics, and she is completing her doctoral studies in physics in Germany!
This is what true empowerment looks like, and this is the opportunity that awaits all students when leaders are intentional in turning on the lights!