My First-Gen Story: Navigating the College Experience and FAFSA
Editor’s Note: In this video narrative, University of Michigan graduate student and Georgetown University graduate Aya Waller-Bey discusses her experience as a first-generation student and navigating the federal student aid application process. This story is Aya-Waller-Bey’s video submission to Voices of Today’s Students, a national campaign to educate policymakers about the demographic shift and experiences of the modern higher learning…
Read MoreStudent Voice: the Ultimate Higher Education Innovation?
Today’s student bodies are growing more diverse by many key metrics, underscoring the urgent need for institutional leaders and policymakers to address historic challenges affecting student finances, wellbeing, and success. In this environment, innovation is at a premium as leaders work to adapt to change. While many players within the higher education community pursue powerful…
Read MoreHearing Student Voice: Why Telling the Story Matters in Federal Policy
One of the challenges holding back federal policy is the disconnect between the experiences of today’s students and the conventional wisdom around what college is like. Too often, myths and misconceptions take root that contradict student realities. For example, we tend to think of students as 18-22 year-olds hanging out on the quad, studying in…
Read MoreIt’s Time for a Real Definition of Student Success
I work for a 16,000-member association that, like many other higher education organizations, has a goal of helping all students succeed. In fact, I think the words “student success”, particularly for undergraduate students, may finally be popular enough to surpass “big data”, which are two words that I think have permeated nearly every institution over…
Read MoreStudent Voice: A First-Generation Advocate for Equity in Education
Editor’s Note: Moises Mendoza is a rising senior at Williams College where he is majoring in Political Science, and English, while also fulfilling a Latinx Studies concentration. A first-generation college student from Minnesota, Moises serves as the current co-President of the student government, which allows him to see close up how a college operates and learn…
Read MoreParent, Provider, Employee and Student: Making it All Work
Editor’s Note: This article is an expanded story based on John Englehart’s video submission to Voices of Today’s Students, a national campaign to educate policymakers about the demographic shift and experiences of the modern higher learning student, highlight their needs, and discuss policy barriers and solutions to increasing student success. My story as a non-traditional…
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