Campus community joins national first-generation college celebration day
Grand Junction- First-generation college students attending Colorado Mesa University know their education journeys are about more than building a career. They know their college education is also about forming a meaningful life.
On Friday, November 8, CMU will celebrate those people on campus, who are the first in their family to pursue higher education.The campus-wide celebration will feature students who by enrolling at CMU join World Famous Firsts.
Throughout history people have strived to be first. Many have stretched the limits of their potential to accomplish the improbable. Some have transcended limitations to accomplish the impossible. From ascending Mount Everest to landing on the Moon, humanity works collectively to accomplish great things, while individuals break their own barriers to make themselves better.
This ongoing human effort is what celebrating first-generation students is all about at CMU.
First human on the moon is just one example
of World Famous Firsts.
When a first-generation student sets foot on a college campus, they might as well be setting foot on the moon. What was a giant leap for humankind is likewise an immeasurable leap forward for a first-generation college student seeking knowledge. Universities are a culmination of the learned knowledge from human history housed in one place. Students who attend university learn to use that knowledge in order to grow and make their life and the world around them better.
Honoring first-generation students is also about honoring the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and mentors who came before these students — those who labored, saved, mentored and encouraged. Celebrating a family’s first member to attend university is about more than the student. Recognizing the milestone is also about remembering all those who helped them towards the decision of enrollment.
CMU serves one of the highest percentages of first-generation student populations in Colorado.This is a statistic CMU communicates with pride.The university believes serving first-generation students is part of its mission and welcomes the optimism, creativity and character that is required to be first.
On Friday, November 8, CMU will host a testimonial event featuring stories of several CMU first-generation students and faculty. This event will be held in the University Center Meyer Ballroom at 11:30am. Directly following the testimonials, a campus-wide BBQ will occur in the pavilion. The community should plan to attend both events and join a national celebration day of first-generation students.