With 40% of the Fall 2025 freshmen grizzlies being first-generation students, Oakland University held a weeklong celebration for first-gens. From Nov. 3 to Nov. 8, students got connected with campus resources, had mix and mingle opportunities and got a chance at giveaway prizes to show their first-gen pride.
The extended celebration came after OU gained membership in the FirstGen Forward Network in August of this year for their commitment to advancing the success of first-gen students. The initiative provides a framework to scale student success and strengthen inclusivity.
“It’s a huge thing and it’s a big national thing where a lot of colleges share ideas and resources,” Asia Bennet, DREAM Coordinator for First-Generation Student Success, said. “The big thing is for us to, you know, promote first-generation celebration week. So we got with them and learned a little bit about what other colleges are doing.”
The Determination and Resilience through Education, Achievement and Motivation (DREAM) initiative is a two-year, grant-funded pilot program aiding a group of Fall 2023 and Fall 2024 students with mentorship and personalized support.
“Close to 40% of the students at Oakland are first gen,” Brittany Miller, first-generation success grant scaling manager, said. “So this year, of the freshmen who entered, about 44% of them were first gen and for our transfer students, 41%. So that number has been increasing every year over the last five to six years.”
For those students who are not familiar with the college experience, the admissions department has put together a resource hub to help them as they navigate financial aid, acclimate to learning strategies and explore their careers. As part of their programs, they created the First and Focused workshops to create a community and transition into college together.
Students were able to access these resources during the celebration week, which highlighted tabling sessions at the Oakland Center, a student panel and a social media challenge.
“What we’re trying to start is this [weeklong] tradition,” Bennett said. “We’re hoping, within the next year or so, maybe even winter, that we’ll have a student organization just for first-generation students. It’s going to bring everybody together for community and resource sharing and things like that.”
Beyond the resources, OU offers four different scholarships for first-gen students aside from the scholarships that give preference to first-gens. These open on Dec. 1 for the 26-27 award cycle:
- Babi Family First Generation Accounting and Finance Student Scholarship
- Becky Kann First-Generation Student Memorial Scholarship
- Becroft Impact Capital Scholarship
- Scott and Andrea Bittinger First Generation Scholarship
As the support for first-gen students grows larger, Miller and Bennett discussed the possibility of expanding first-gen visibility to other departments on campus and having student leaders at the forefront of such efforts.
“There are over 300 student organizations here,” Miller said. “So I know that students are able to find a community or a space where they can feel that belonging and we’re also trying to create that with all our first-gen students.”
For more information on the DREAM Initiative, please contact Asia Bennett, DREAM Coordinator, at [email protected] or (248) 370-3364.
