Beyond
Enrollment: Championing
Success for First-Generation
Students in Higher Education
Tamam
Waritu
Wednesday, October 11, 6:00PM - Student Union Ballroom
According to The Center for
First-Generation Student Success, as of 2015-2016, first-generation students
represented 56 percent of all undergraduates in the US. The concerted efforts
to enhance access to higher education in recent decades have undeniably
narrowed enrollment gaps and resulted in a significant influx of low-income
first-generation students into colleges. This represents a remarkable
achievement for our society and higher education institutions, particularly
considering the prevailing evidence of higher education's role as a key facilitator
of upward mobility for low-income first-generation students.
Regrettably, however, data shows that low-income first-generation students
continue to face starkly different educational and career outcomes compared to
their high-income continuing generation peers. A 2022 report by Education Data
revealed that first-generation students have a 92.2 percent higher dropout rate
than their counterparts. This sobering statistic implies that for the majority
of these students, despite their aspirations and diligent efforts to enter
college, their dreams of ascending the socioeconomic ladder remain largely
unrealized. Additionally, many of these students depart from school saddled
with considerable debt and face diminished employment prospects.
In this talk, Tamam will highlight compelling reasons why the higher education
sector should urgently address these disparities.
Tamam Waritu, a first-generation
graduate himself, is a national student trainer dedicated to empowering
first-generation low-income students. His work has left a positive imprint on
thousands across thirty states. Mr. Waritu completed his BA at Portland State
University in 2008 and went on to earn an Ed.M. from Harvard University. As the
founder and lead trainer at First Gen Training (www.firstgentraining.com),
he provides transformative guidance to first-generation students, leveraging
his unique experiences that garnered him recognition as "one of the most
inspiring graduate students on campus" by the Harvard Magazine.
