Summit helps students access ‘resource capital’
Steven Medina, college counselor at the Leadville campus of Colorado Mountain College, knows what it’s like to face the higher-education maze without a parent who completed college to guide the way. A first-generation student himself, Medina is committed to helping others who are also the first in their families to finish college to connect with the information and resources they need to find their way into college and satisfying careers.
Medina, along with other CMC advisors and staff members, was part of a team that launched the campus’s inaugural First Generation Summit on March 29. Fifty-four students in middle and high school, plus their families, teachers and mentors – about 120 people in all – attended the event at the Climax Molybdenum Leadership Center at CMC’s Leadville campus. Full Circle of Lake County partnered with the college to reach out to youth in the community.
Workshops for the students in attendance covered topics such as how to choose a major and career; how to apply for financial aid, grants and scholarships; and how appropriate use of social media (“netiquette”) in middle and high school can impact college admission and gainful employment in the future.
Guest speakers included Colorado Mountain College’s president, Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, as well as representatives from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Metropolitan State University of Denver and Adams State University. The summit also featured a student panel to answer the questions of prospective first-generation students and their families. The entire event was conducted in English and Spanish, and CMC student panelists included Neyva Hernandez, Axel Arreguin, Stephanie Radilla, Alex Rosas and Paul Gonzalez Dominguez.
“The driving philosophy of our outreach is to be good community members,” said Medina. “We learned a lot during our first run and hope to make it even better in the future. We want to create a sustained relationship with first-generation youth; we can’t just be one and done.”
For more information about upcoming events geared toward first-generation students, contact Medina at 719-486-4237 or smedina@coloradomtn.edu. To see a video about the First Generation Summit, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpRlcR7SR2g. Find more information about Colorado Mountain College at www.coloradomtn.edu.