Bloomfield College Celebrates its First Generation Students, Faculty, and Staff
Bloomfield College celebrated its third annual First Generation College Day on November 5. The national observance of this day is November 8. The day was launched in 2017 by theCouncil for Opportunity in Education(COE) and the Center for First-generation Student Success.
More than half of the student body at Bloomfield College are the first in their families to attend college and work toward a bachelor's degree.
Run on campus by TRIO Student Support Services (SSS), First Generation Day welcomed not just the College’s first-gen students, but also any faculty and staff who identify as the first in their families to attend college. The mixer ran from 2:00 through 4:00 p.m. and was held in Westminster Arts Center.
"The third annual First-Generation Day Celebration was a huge success,” said Yannett Bagçe, Director of TRIO Student Support Services. “As a first-generation student myself, I know the importance of students and staff having a shared space to discuss their journeys and shared experiences through higher education.”
President Marcheta P. Evans, PhD, gave opening remarks, there was a raffle, and Da’John Graves '21 was announced as the winner of the first generation t-shirt design contest. The event was sponsored by nine departments and organizations within the College including TRIO SSS, TRIO McNair Scholars, CSLE, Residence Life, Office of Institutional Advancement, Holley Program in Applied Ethics, Bloomfield College Alumni Association, EOF, and the First Year Seminar program.