Members of the IUPUI First-Generation Committee are passionate about supporting students who are the first in their families to go to college.

“College can be a very tough time for someone who may have had no guidance or understanding of what it looks like,” Ernest Evans said. “Every interaction we have with those students is very important. It could be the determining factor of them staying and being successful at this institution or them leaving.”

Ernest Evans. Photo by Indiana UniversityEvans is director of Upward Bound at IUPUI, a program designed to bridge the gap between high school and college. He began that position in October 2022, 10 years after graduating from IUPUI with a sociology degree.

“I wanted to come back home to IUPUI and work under — and with — people who helped mold me into the professional I am today,” Evans said. “A lot of people who were here while I was in college and were impactful to my college career are still here as staff and faculty.

“I’m a product of the IUPUI Upward Bound program, so it’s also a great way to give back.”

Serving on the volunteer First-Generation Committee is another way he’s giving back. In addition to planning the 2023 First-Generation Celebration, which takes place Nov. 7 in the Campus Center, members are workshopping new ideas.

Students participate in the 2022 First-Generation Celebration. Photo by Chris Meyer, Indiana University“We’re looking for ways to get students more engaged on campus outside of the event,” he said. “So what should that look like? Do we create an organization or an honor society? We’re having those kinds of conversations as a committee to figure out next steps.”

Celebrating and honoring first-gen students play a role in facilitating their success and retention, said Carlos Zapata, a member of the First-Generation Committee since its inception in 2018 and an academic advisor in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering.

Carlos Zapata. Photo by Indiana University“One of the things that I can reflect on personally, as a first-generation student myself, is that students don’t know what they don’t know,” he said. “We hope to instill a sense of pride in being first-gen and empower students to feel comfortable asking questions.

“The celebration event is also a great networking event for students. They can connect to partners with financial aid, the bursar, career services — resources that they may be unsure about or don’t know who to contact.”

The committee and campus have earned national recognition for their commitment to serving first-generation students.

IUPUI is a First-Gen Forward Institution, a designation given by the Center for First-Generation Student Success. Selected institutions receive professional development, community-building experiences, and engagement with the center’s research and resources.

The 2022 Career Connections Night held at the Indianapolis Zoo, an event planned and hosted by the First-Generation Committee, won an outstanding achievement award from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. That event, and several others in the 2022-23 academic year, were made possible thanks to additional funding from a grant.

Students look at an Indianapolis Zoo exhibit during First-Generation Career Connections Night. Photo by Indiana University There are many ways for faculty and staff to participate in first-gen initiatives.

“The committee is open to the entire campus,” Evans said. “People can join anytime, or if that is too much of a commitment, they can always volunteer for specific events.”

He praises IUPUI’s support for first-generation and under-represented students, through the First-Generation Committee and other programs.

“I’d like to give flowers to programs like Upward Bound,” he said. “It wasn’t until I joined that program as an undergraduate student, where I had instructors that were men of color who were working on Ph.D.s, that I knew that I could do that. Now here I am, prayerfully, within a year of earning a Ph.D.

“I believe the intentionality at IUPUI is unmet by any other institution when it comes to ensuring the success of our first-generation students. There are plenty of campuses that have resources, but in my experience, IUPUI is a lot more intentional about the experiences of their students. The faculty and staff put work behind their words.”

Tia Broz is a communications consultant in the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing.