By Riley Harker, Managing Editor of Content
A warm office with the door always open. Thank you notes from students cover the walls. Messages like “You’re the best,” “You’re number one, “Thank you for all that you do,” along with stick figure drawings of smiling faces on brightly colored papers. Karla Procopio, the Assistant Director of Leadership and Engagement here at Susquehanna University, smiles up at her office wall, gesturing widely at all the notes and letters that make her job feel worth it.
A full office is what she always wants, whether it be to help students with finding support in any areas they may need, to work alongside students and watch them grow into independent leaders, or even just to chat with students and be a smiling face or a listening ear. She loves feeling like anyone can come into her office and ask her anything. That she can always help somebody.
For her, it is all about the impact she can have on other students. Students like her, who may have struggled academically in high school, or whose parents have had to sacrifice a lot to get their student through college, who are maybe having a hard time adjusting to the college life without a strict schedule, or without the support of a parent or guardian who has been here before. Even feeling like you can’t do it, feeling like it is all too much, like you want to leave school and go back home, like you are not ready for college. Procopio can relate to all of this.
Procopio knows how it feels to be the first. Her path to her college degree was non-traditional to say the least. Like many Susquehanna students, she grew up in Shamokin, Pa. She was the oldest of her family. She went to Shamokin High School, thriving in subjects such as English and history, and struggling in math and science. Right after high school, she was accepted to Bloomsburg University as an English literature major. Her parents were ecstatic for her to start college.
Her dad had been able to start college at the University of Delaware. He attended on a football and baseball scholarship. He got through the first two years, but then he dropped out to work at the gas station that his family owned.
“He used to always say that if they had, back then, community college or something he probably would have gotten a 2-year degree,” Procopio said when describing her father’s experience.
Her mother had also been accepted into college after she had graduated from Shamokin High School. She was accepted into Bloomsburg when it was known as Bloomsburg Teaching College, however she faced many financial challenges and could not afford to go. She instead started working full time right out of high school.
“So, they were very excited when I went to school,” Procopio said, “But then I kept dropping out.”
Procopio’s story is different from other first-generation stories as her road to graduation took longer than anyone in her family had anticipated.
“I went for a semester and then I dropped out,” Procopio said, her shoulders slumping as she spoke the words. “My mom and dad were very devastated because neither one of them finished college.”
Procopio faced many of the challenges that first-generation students often struggle with. She had a hard time adjusting to the freedom of college, the cultural shock of having a roommate from a different background, as well as understanding financial aid and money concerns.
After dropping out of Bloomsburg the first time, she stayed home for a bit before giving it another go. But the second time also didn’t stick, and she dropped out again. Later in her life, she decided to go back as a non-traditional student, and as they say, the third time’s the charm.
She went back to Bloomsburg to finish her degree after she was married and had three kids. She was 40 years old when she finished her degree and graduated.
“My parents came. I probably had the biggest section, one of the biggest groups of people cheering when I got my diploma,” she said about the day when she was finally able to claim her four-year degree and walk across the graduation stage in front of those who had supported her along the way.
“I was just so proud that I finally finished, and I was able to be an example for my children. The oldest one was just coming here to Susquehanna and the others were still in high school and middle school, and I was proud to know that I showed them that I could do classes and write so many papers and do internships, work part time and take care of them all at once,” Procopio said beaming as she glanced at the pictures of her family and loved ones, who’s photos could be found throughout the thank you notes scattered along the wall.
Not far from Procopio’s office, another member of the Susquehanna community has a very different first-generation story. In the President’s house on University Avenue, First Lady Lynn Buck finds herself living on a college campus once again, serving her eighth year as the First Lady of Susquehanna. She didn’t always feel this comfortable on a college campus. She too knows what it is like to be the first.
“I know with my first-generation story I had a lot more advantages than a lot of other people who are first-generation students have,” Buck said, “I wasn’t even sure I counted as first-generation because my father did go to college he just didn’t graduate.”
Buck’s parents both come from Catholic families. Her father worked in the mill and after work, attended night school. He was able to become an accountant, however he never fully finished his degree. Her mother was not allowed to go to college, because at that time, her parents expected her to stay home to help the family.
“It is pretty sad,” Buck said recalling her mother’s experience, “she’s very smart and she loves to read, and she would’ve been like history or English or something like that I’m pretty sure. She got accepted to college, but her parents wouldn’t let her go.”
Buck said that when it came time for her to start thinking about college, it was always assumed and expected by both of her parents that she would be going to college. Buck went to Syracuse University for two years before transferring to State University of New York at Fredonia where she could focus more on her musical career. She played the flute as her major instrument, and she also had a major in performance and education.
“They were always supportive of us going, I never remember them saying, no you can’t do this,” Buck said of her parents, “It wasn’t as big a challenge as it was for many people, and I feel very blessed in that regard.”
Now she is surrounded by students like her almost every day on campus, when she takes her morning strolls, goes to Susquehanna student events and games, or even on move-in day, her favorite time to support students and their families. She brings a basket of goodies, anything that you could need, a piece of chocolate for a sweet memory, a piece of gum before you meet your new roommate, a box of tissues for weepy goodbye hugs. She says she tries to look out for people in need, especially those with a faraway license plate who may need the support away from home a little more than others. She wants to make sure parents know that we, as a Susquehanna community, will take care of their students. Supporting those who need it just as her family supported her.
“As they say, I mean it’s a cliche but, showing up is half the battle so you just want to make sure that people know that you’re around and available and visible I think is important. I try to make everyone feel welcome, you know, not because you’re first-generation I’m going to try to make you feel more welcome, but if people need something I’m certainly available.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, today, only 33% of students pursuing higher education are the first in their family to attend college. Support seems to be the key to the success of our first-generation stories here at Susquehanna. Susquehanna is a self-identifying first-generation campus, defined by the website as, “students who self-identify as first-generation as it pertains to their own experience.” This means that students must identify themselves as first-generation depending on their own desire to be considered one.
“I think that it always depends on social settings,” said junior first-generation student Kimmy Mohn. She discussed the difficulty of knowing when and how to self-identify as a first-generation student, a new identity marker that comes along with these four years at school, but that you hold onto for the rest of your life. “I think sometimes, when you say that you are first-gen, you will get judgements of why your parents didn’t go to college, but then other times, I feel like it is the achievement of you being the first one to go.” Mohn discussed how she is learning to shift her view and the view of others into realizing and recognizing that being a first-generation student is something to be proud of.
Susquehanna University is also attempting to shift the view of first-generation students. This year was the first year that Susquehanna hosted a week of events celebrating first-generation students, hosted Nov. 4 through Nov. 8. The week was planned by Lauren Crouse, the associate director of leadership and engagement. The week kicked off with Friendship Bracelet making for first-generation students to share their stories with one another and gain a sense of community. There was an event on Kurtz Lane titled, We’re Glad You’re Here, where students were able to add inspirational messages in chalk to first-generations students. There was a Grad School Fair and a Thankful 4 You fair in which students were able to learn about the resources available to them for support here at Susquehanna as well as in their future endeavors. On Friday, November 8, Susquehanna celebrated First Generation Celebration Day with a party to commemorate being halfway through the semester, a great feat for many first-generation students.
Students whose parents did not attend college or did not get a degree are more than twice as likely to leave in the first year than continuing generation students, according to the U.S. Department of Education. This is just one of the statistics and fast facts that were presented to faculty and staff at the first-generation information panel hosted by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). They were able to learn ways that they can support first-generations students on campus and better understand how these students are trailblazers in our community.
Toni Momodu is a senior creative writing and legal studies double major. She identifies as a first-generation student as she does not have a parent who attended a university in the United States; therefore, she faced many of the same struggles that other first-generation students have faced throughout her college experience.
Momodu was born in Nigeria but has lived in Maryland for most of her life with her mother and two brothers. She has always been a high-achieving student and has always known that she would do all it took to seek higher education. Because her mother did not have an American degree, it was difficult for Momodu to figure out the process of applying for schools and for the most part, Momodu did it all on her own.
“She’s very much an advocate for education,” Momodu said about her mother, nodding her head as if to exaggerate the declaration, “she’s like, go get your degree, if you want to go to grad school, go to grad school. She’s very heavy on education because in Nigeria she got her bachelor’s in accounting, so she was able to work as an accountant over there. And currently she has her CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) license, so she’s working to be a nurse here.”
Toni would call up her friends and ask for their help with figuring out things like the FAFSA form. She would call her older brother while he was at college and ask him for help on her application, but he was often busy with his own life adjusting to college classes and lacrosse practices. For most of the process she had to resort to late nights staring at the computer screen, researching college after college and learning about the process step by step from online resources and Google searches.
She applied to more than 20 schools, but in the end, it mostly came down to financial aid which helped her to make the decision to come to Susquehanna. It was in the Pre-Flight program before her freshman orientation when she was first connected with the TRiO SSS program.
TRiO Student Support Services (TRiO SSS) is a federal program that is designed to support students specifically who are first-generation students, income-eligible and/or have a documented disability. TRiO SSS has been a part of Susquehanna’s campus for approximately five years.
TRiO SSS holds workshops and support on topics ranging from academic, financial literacy and financial aid assistance, application reviews, providing resources for scholarships opportunities, advocating for career fairs for on-campus jobs as well as supporting students in their next steps after Susquehanna. According to Clarissa Murray who spoke on behalf of TRiO, Susquehanna University, “We create programming based on the students’ needs in our program and we reach them where they are at, by having 1:1 meeting to create an academic schedule, adding tutoring services to our program and a mentor program allows our students to build their sense of community away from home.”
Momodu benefited greatly from the support that she was given by TRiO since her first day on campus, and now she can give back to students like her as a TRiO intern. She is able to work one-on-one with between five and seven TRiO students like herself and mentor them in any way they may need.
As Momodu starts to wrap up her senior year of college, she can’t help but think about what her next steps will be. Law school. That is where she sees life taking her after Susquehanna. She imagines walking across the graduation stage come May in her maroon gown and her cap decorated with the law school she will be attending.
“That would just be the ultimate I’ve made it moment,” Momodu says smiling at the thought, holding her hand to her heart, “Throughout everything in my life and everything that’s happened, all the challenges, everything, that I was able to graduate despite everything. That would just be, I feel like, the biggest accomplishment of my life.”
Procopio hopes that this week of events helped to highlight the achievements of our first-generation students on campus because they deserve to be recognized. “First-gen students just have to know if their parents or their guardians haven’t done it before someone here can always help you. That’s what we’re here for.”
