GREENVILLE, Pa.—Thiel College is celebrating the members of its community who are the first in their families to attend college with an event at noon Thursday in the Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center.
In conjunction with the event that is recognizing the accomplishments of its students, faculty and staff members who were the first in their family to attend college, a video chronicling the achievements of those Thiel community members was also released.
Biology major Malajah Johnson ’23 and criminal justice major Emma Galiardi ’23 talked about their experiences as a first-generation student at Thiel College.
“As a first-gen college student, I didn’t have anyone to reach out to in my family,” Galiardi said, “so I used the resources at Thiel as much as possible.”
Professor of Business Administration and Accounting and Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration and Accounting Associate Chair Melissa S. Oakes ’03 and Director of Alumni Relations David Hummel ’83 spoke about how Thiel’s student-focused community helped guide them through the process of becoming a first-generation college student.
In 2017, the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Center for First-generation Student Success launched the inaugural First-Generation College Celebration! Given the continued success of this event, COE and the Center now partner to make this celebration an annual event.
On November 8, colleges, universities, corporations, non-profits, and K-12 schools celebrated the success of first-generation college students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
Thiel College is also a partner with I’m First! I’m First was created by nonprofit Center for Student Opportunity in 2013 to provide students who lack a family history of higher education with inspiration, information, and support on the road to and through college and is now an initiative of Strive for College—a national nonprofit that also runs a national online mentoring program for college-bound students. Another feature of I’m First! will be a blog about life as a college student by a first-generation Thiel College student.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.