Project:

Roots to Branches

This project shifts the narrative on First Generation Students from deficit to asset model. It centers on the personal histories of FGCSs (First Generation College Students) from diverse backgrounds and ages. Through these personal histories, we would highlight not just the assets of FGCSs, but how they discovered and developed their assets and used them in their lives. This project centers students who are Black, Latino, Indigenous, or Asian Americans as the majority of FGCSs are black, Latino, Indigenous, or Asian American (RTI International, 2019). While FGCSs come from a variety of backgrounds, Roots and Branches would center the experiences and strengths of Black, Latino, Indigenous, and Asian American students. Currently, no digital resources explicitly recognize and celebrate the greatness of FGCSs. Roots and Branches, emphasizes a students’ roots, which include their family, life experiences, and educational experiences, and their branches, which include their accomplishments and goals for the future. One of the greatest learning potentials of this digital project is the creation of a FGS Teaching Toolkit designed to advance the stories and experiences of First Gen students in higher education. 

Faculty bio:

a silhouette of a person against a background of a starry purple sky, with a logo for "DEFCon"

Bio coming soon