F1RST GENERATION CELEBRATION

Simpson College Celebrates FirstGeneration Day

The Simpson College community came together to celebrate the success of its first-generation college students, faculty and staff at National FirstGeneration Day on Nov. 8, 2019.

To make the event possible, the college secured a select, national grant to fund the festivities. Simpson was the only college or university in the state of Iowa and one of just 24 nationally to receive the grant, which came from the Council for Opportunity in Education, the Center for First-Generation Student Success and the Suder Foundation.

“As an institution, we felt that this was an important event to celebrate because of the high percentage of first-generation students we have at Simpson,” said Marzia Corni-Benson, former director of the TRIO-Student Support Services program at Simpson and current director of foundation and government support programs. Forty percent of Simpson students are first-generation.

The event took place in Kent Campus Center and featured presentations from first-generation faculty and staff, a student-produced video highlighting the experiences of first-generation individuals, a banner signing and various giveaway items.

Leading up to the celebration, the TRIO-Student Support Services program received unexpected gifts from two anonymous donors who wanted to provide assistance to first-generation students. Seven juniors and seniors were honored with the surprise scholarships: Ajay Gurung, Morgan King, Angelina Patiño, Kimberly Roberts, Katrina Sieck, Adriana Soto and Stephanie Twohey.

Kimberly Roberts was one of seven who received a scholarship on Nov. 8, 2019.

What is TRIOStudent Support Services?

Student Support Services (SSS) is one of the eight, federally-funded outreach and student services programs that comprise TRIO. The name TRIO is not an acronym. It was created after the first three programs — Upward Bound, Talent Search and Student Support Services — were combined.

At Simpson College, TRIO-SSS serves those who are first-generation, lowincome or disabled. The program is designed to motivate and support participants to overcome class, social and cultural barriers to higher education.

Some of the many services TRIOSSS provides include:

• Individualized academic coaching and advising

• 24/7 online tutoring

• Peer-mentoring

• TRIO Grant Aid scholarships

• Social and cultural activities