MCTC hosts first annual First Gen event
Published on Nov 12, 2024
By Rachel Adkins
Maysville Community and Technical College is proud to support first generation students.
A first-generation student (as defined by TRIO) is a college student whose parent(s) or guardian(s) do not have a degree from a four-year college or university.
MCTC President and CEO Dr. Laura McCullough signed a proclamation for MCTC First Gen College Student Day on Nov. 7.
Several statistics were detailed in the proclamation.
With over 56 percent of all postsecondary students in the US having parents without
a bachelor’s degree, over one-third of college students are first gen.
Roughly 60 percent of first gen students are also the first sibling in their family to go to college.
53 percent of first gen students are enrolled in a two-year institution.
56 percent of all undergraduates are first gen college students.
28 percent of first gen students are 30 years or older.
First gen college students are also more likely to come from low-income or minority
backgrounds and to be parents, caregivers, veterans or first-generation Americans.
MCTC’s department of Cultural Diversity and TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) led MCTC’s first annual celebration of first gen students.
“We are thrilled to have launched our first annual First-Generation College Student Day at MCTC,” said Courtney Myers, a college counselor in SSS at MCTC. “We recognize that our first-generation students face unique challenges in navigating higher education and this day celebrates their resilience and pride in being the first in their family to attend college.”
Across all four campuses, students and MCTC employees signed banners for the First Gen event, symbolizing their hard work and dedication.
“We are proud of all our students,” Myers remarked.
Banners signed by students and employees will be displayed on each campus.
For more information on what it means to be a first gen student, please contact Courtney Myers at courtney.myers@kctcs.edu or (606) 301-6063.
