LCC honors first-generation students
Participants from LCC's "First Generation Student Day" gather for a photo in the Gannon Building on Nov. 8. From left are students Rowdo Khalid, Marilyn Nguyen and Zipporah Cyars, LCC Success Coach Director Sarah Garcia-Linz, LCC Interim Associate Dean of Student Affairs Mike McGinnis and Dean of Student Affairs Ronda Miller. Photo by Chloe Gregg
By Chloe Gregg
Associate Editor
Colleges around the U.S., including Lansing Community College, celebrated “National First Generation Student Day” on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
LCC hosted an event in the main Gannon hallway to honor the 57th anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
“(It) created grants and loans to support minority and low-income students’ education,” said Ronda Miller, the dean of Student Affairs at LCC. “The landmark legislation also provided funding to colleges to create student support services.”
This was the first time LCC ever celebrated the national event, but according to Miller, it will not be the last. LCC plans to make this celebration an annual event to show support to its first-generation students.
“We provide support to students in many ways, and this support is not just related to our first-generation students,” Miller said. “We provide academic success coaches, mental health counseling, tutoring, multiple programs within the Cesar Chavez Learning Center, and more.
“There are opportunities for students to join clubs and organizations and participate on athletic teams. The college hosts programming and activities throughout the academic year that the campus community can attend.”
Zipporah Cyars, a first-generation student who went to the event, said she is happy to see LCC supporting its first-generation students.
“The support that LCC showed for its first-gen students was great and really helpful,” Cyars said. “I enjoyed the wraps and other food that was placed out for us to have.”
For more information on LCC’s student events, visit the events calendar here.
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