Services We offer First-Gen Students
ABOUT
By choosing to become part of GenOne Next Level, you will join a special cohort of students who share a common first-year experience: being first gen! You will benefit from a First-Year seminar. You will also have access to an older student who year of college. There are different classes for different interests/majors!
Our Story
GenOne Next Level helps first-gen students transition to college by helping them build confidence, develop a sense of belonging, engage with faculty and staff on a deeper level, and form friendships that will last throughout their college career. This can make all the difference for the incoming first generation!
Some of the RAMS 101 GenOne Next- Level classes we are offered this past Fall included:
I’m a Flame You Can’t Put Out: Reading & Writing Memoir
Instructor: Professor Jennifer De Leon (Department of English)
Course Description:
Memoir is the art of shaping one’s personal history and experiences into compelling scenes and descriptions that are often read like fiction. Yet, it is not simply a retelling of facts. Memoir demands that we push deep into reflection and speculation about ourselves and the world around us. To this end, we will examine published memoirs and take a critical look at what techniques the authors use—voice, structure, pacing, “character” development, and other elements of craft—and write our own. You will generate material, refine your editing skills, heighten your command of storytelling, and take a fresh look at your life experience.
Level Up: How Does Your Background Influence Success in College?
Instructor: Dr. Patricia Sanchez-Connally
(Department of Sociology and Criminology)
Course Description:
Students explore the multiple sociocultural factors that influence success in college and ask questions about the relationship between higher education and society. Why do some college students “get further ahead” than others? Why do some students get more involved in co-curricular activities than others? Who attends four-year vs. two-year institutions? How do families and peers shape educational pathways? How does being a first-generation college student affect their experiences in and outside the classroom? Coursework includes research- based assignments, reading counter stories, writing self-reflections and engaging in discussions.
Taking Our Power Back: Immigration and Refugee Stories as Counternarratives in History
Instructor: Dr. Chu Ly (Department of Education)
Course Description:
An exploration of immigrant and refugee experiences, with discussions of the implications of what it means to be an immigrant/refugee in relation to master narratives learned in educational experiences about historical events. Students read picture books, graphic novels, and short stories to contextualize their families’ stories and challenge historical narratives taught in previous academic settings. Students also write about their experiences, exploring their families’ journeys and their own experiences and those of their family members as students, caregivers, or parents. Students share their stories with a public audience.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
Learning how to be a successful college student is at the heart of GenOne Next Level. Specific benefits include:
- A safe space for first-gen students like you to ask questions and share stories!
- Access to an older student outside of the classroom
- Relationship with a current FSU student who serves as a peer mentor for the RAMS 101 seminar
- Dedicated lounge in Hemenway Hall
- Special help and programs regarding careers and majors, financial literacy, mental health and wellness and academic success
- Interactions with other students, faculty and staff who share the common experience of being first in the family to attend college
- Introduction to the many resources available to you at FSU
- Acknowledgment of your strengths and contributions as members of the FSU community