Since the fall of 2017, Shawnee’s First Generation Mentorship program has provided support to first-generation college students by connecting them with mentors who guide and advise them on college matters.

First-generation students are the first members of their immediate families to continue their education into college. To qualify for the mentorship program, a student must be from a family in which neither parent has finished college or obtained a degree from an institution of higher education.

Interim Dean of Students Linda Koenig, who supervises the program, is first-gen herself and participates as a mentor. There are 106 mentees and 54 mentors in the program, which was started under the supervision of the former dean of students, Marcie Simms.

Joining the program requires only the completion of a simple application. The link to the application can be found here on the Dean of Students section of SSU’s website. The questions on the application ask for information on specific areas in the students’ lives that would be helpful in matching them to appropriate mentors, such as financial situation, campus living or commuter, student background, area of study or other things the student would like to add. After applying, students receive an email thanking them for becoming a part of the program and giving them information on which staff member at Shawnee is now the student’s mentor.

Faculty and staff interested in volunteering as mentors in the program can follow the same link (https://www.shawnee.edu/campus-life/dean-students/first-generation-students) to apply to participate in the program.

After students receive the email with the mentor’s contact information, Koenig recommends that the pair sit down, meet, have a conversation and create a connection. The mentor will follow the student through the years until graduation and may even be willing to serve as a reference for job applications after college if a connection is created.

“If you are a first-generation student and your goal is to get through college and get a degree, the first-gen program is a fabulous way to support you in doing that, and you are more likely to reach graduation if you participate,” Koenig said.

It is never too late to sign up and become a mentee or mentor in the program. Students who apply will receive a shirt. Multiple sizes are available with options for everyone.