Speaker: Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee, President, Community College of Aurora
What does first-gen mean to you?
Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee: First-generation for me means that a student has made a commitment in their personal life to be the first. To be the one in their family to truly change the trajectory of their family forever by pursuing an education. And that education can bring about a level of change - social and economic mobility - that will not only transform their lives, but will transform the lives of their families for generations to come.
Why does participating in #CelebrateFirstGen matter?
Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee: #CelebrateFirstGen matters to me because, as we look at the landscape of post-secondary education here in the United States, roughly 56% of students are first-generation. And of those 56%, roughly 60% are students of color. So as we talk about advancing social economic mobilities, we talk about transforming the economic realities and the trajectory of not only one generation but multi generations. We have to talk about that work starting with first-generation college students. We truly have a war on poverty here in the United States. And, in order to win that war, it takes us having more skilled and prepared individuals to be able to put food on their family tables for years to come. And that starts with us celebrating our first-generation college students.
Anything additional you'd like to add that advances an asset-based national narrative on #firstgen experiences and outcomes?
Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee: Here at the Community College of Aurora, in Aurora, Colorado, for the past 40 years we have been serving first-generation communities and we don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Not only are we a Hispanic-serving institution, a minority-serving institution, but roughly 52% of our students are first-generation college students. We understand that our students are on the front lines of changing their lives and changing the lives of their families, those that they love. And we understand the impact that it has on our immediate community to have a worldwide impact to eliminating poverty and creating new opportunities for others. So, Community College of Aurora, we celebrate first-generation college students, and we'll continue to do so for years to come.
