First to Soar Celebration
Galloway, N.J. — The whole campus community is invited to join the First Ospreys Retention Initative for their annual First to Soar Celebration taking place at 5 p.m. on Nov. 7 in the Campus Center Event Room.
The evening will include a speech by keynote speaker Michael Spence, a proud first-gen student-turned-motivational speaker, a pinning ceremony for current first-generation students, dinner and more.
Galloway, N.J. — Students at the Nov. 9 National First-Generation Week Reception learned just how large of a community they have at Stockton University when Christopher Catching, vice president of Student Affairs, shared that around 50% of the students here identify as first-generation students.
“Being first-generation is part of the DNA here,” Catching said. “This institution was founded in 1969 and officially opened in 1971, and it’s always served first-generation and post-traditional students. Based on this year’s numbers, about 4,700 students identify as first-gen.”
First-generation students are students whose parents or immediate families don’t currently hold a four-year college/university degree. This can impact one’s college experience, as explained by Priya Parikh, a student and treasurer for First Ospreys.
— Story by Loukaia Taylor
To embrace diversity is to care enough to listen with an open mind and to speak up during difficult conversations. The #StocktonVoices series gives students, faculty and staff a platform to both speak and listen to our own diverse voices.
For last year’s First-Generation Week celebration, students shared what it means to be a first-generation student (or First Osprey), how it impacted their college experience and the support they have received since. Below are their stories. #CelebrateFirstGen
