KENNY:
The university offers a plethora
of activities and departments
that help first generation
students acclimate to university
living. UW-Whitewater has been
committed and will stay
committed
to ensuring that all students 
are successful,
but we do pay close and strict 
attention to those who are first
generation students.
KARA:
It's important to me that I'm 
at Whitewater because I
am the first person in my 
family to go to college,
this is a sense of 
accomplishment.
JUSTIN:
For me to be able to do 
something and accomplish
something that my parents 
haven't done,
but to be able to do that 
through them and with their help,
it means a lot.
JAIA:
Although being a first gen 
student has a lot of challenges
and barriers and can be very 
stressful and there's a lot of
pressures, I wouldn't have 
regretted going to college just
because even though I'm helping 
my family, I'm also helping
myself live a better life. 
Being a Hmong female minority
student who is majoring in 
Accounting, HR and minoring in
Chinese, I feel like this 
university gives a lot to like
help students prepare for 
their future.
JUSTIN:
I've been able to meet a lot of 
new people, so I've been able to
learn from a lot of people.
Being on two different
sports teams, I got to travel 
across the country. I was also
able to compete against some
really good top athletes, so I
think that's a really special
experience that I have.
KARA:
You're kind of like, jumping
into school, winging everything.
So the support that the staff,
and the Economics Department
and all my friends have made on
me is extremely important.
KENNY:
They're the actual first ones
going through that process. So
incumbent upon the university
to have a layer of support to
that helping hand and that
guiding hand to take them to say
we understand that this is new,
and here we are to help support
you and to walk with you in this
endeavor as being a first
generation student.
JAIA:
I want my parents to be happy
that their daughter went to
college, graduated, got her CPA
and all these great things, so
then they have something to look
forward to.
JUSTIN:
It's a big opportunity for my
future I believe it opened up a
lot of doors. And it already has
opened up doors for my family.
They're really proud of me.
JAIA:
And now I have lifelong friends
that probably will be at my
wedding. In addition to that, the
different organizations and all
the different leadership
opportunities that I was given
whether it be through the
different organzations or at my
jobs, it just help build me
characteristically and
professionally.
JUSTIN:
There's a lot of different
obstacles in life, so when we
can look back four, five years later
or even more, it says a lot when
you're able to finally walk
across the stage and get your
degree.
KARA:
I just feel like I wouldn't be
the person I am today without
Whitewater, school, or all the
people here in general.
KENNY:
It's our responsibility to one,
make students feel like they are
at home. Two, to make sure they
are included in not only the
fabric of the institution but
feel like they are part of the
Warhawk family, of the Warhawk
experience, but having that
understanding that we're
sensitive to the fact that this
a brand new experience and we
want to be there to help support
you, but also celebrate every
milestone, every accomplishment.
It's our responsibility to fill
in that gap.
