To improve services for first-generation college students, a CCRC study is exploring the relationships these students have both on and off campus, how those relationships support their college journeys, and how those relationships influence what college services and supports they do and do not access. This project is conducted in partnership with two California community colleges and two California State Universities and is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences.
In this webinar, CCRC researchers will describe the support networks of first-year first-generation college students, using social network survey and interview data collected during the first-year of the study. The researchers will share the types of social relations identified by students and the ways these relations enhanced students’ college experience. Colleges will find the description of first-generation students’ networks useful for designing and differentiating services for these students.
This webinar will also feature student and enrollment services staff from Cerritos Community College who will discuss the advising and student support policies and practices for serving first-generation students. The speakers will share how institutions leverage students’ personal networks to engage students. The practices outlined in this webinar may be helpful to other institutions considering ways to improve the experiences of first-generation students that they serve.
Presenters
Hoori Kalamkarian, Senior Research Associate, CCRC
Melissa Herman, Senior Research Assistant and PEAR Fellow, CCRC
Traci Ukita, Career Counselor, Cerritos College
Chelena Fisher, Department Chair of Counseling/Counselor/Associate Professor, Cerritos College
Raquel Lizarraga-Christensen, School Relations Coordinator, Office of Enrollment Services, Cerritos College