The following University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students are among the more than 4,300 Warhawks who are first-generation college students at the Whitewater and Rock County campuses:
53190 Whitewater, WI: Rori Nikole, whose major is Communication at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Stephanie Hensel, whose major is Accounting at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Yovanni Rojas-Reyes, whose major is Human Performance at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Mariana Aranda, whose major is Finance at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Meng Cheng, whose major is Legal Studies at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Ally Smith, whose major is Psychology at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Stephanie Goettl, whose major is Communication – MS at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Katherine Sainsbury, whose major is Elementary Education at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Kasi Hall, whose major is Social Work – MSW at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Toya Butler, whose major is Communication at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Alexis Faber, whose major is Art at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Jaciel Flores, whose major is Marketing at UW-Whitewater.
53190 Whitewater, WI: Whitney Meisner, whose major is Supply Chain Management at UW-Whitewater.
First-generation college students – or students who are the first in their families to attend college – make up more than one-third of the undergraduate population at UW-Whitewater. Fifty-eight percent of students on the Rock County campus alone are first-generation.
UW-Whitewater is proud to participate in the annual First-Generation College Celebration, a national effort led by First-Gen Forward. Held on Nov. 8, FGCC Day not only champions first-gen students’ contributions to their communities but to connect them to the resources they need for success.
As part of the celebration, the university will hold a kickoff event at noon on Monday, Nov. 3, at the University Center, the Whitewater campus’s student union. [See this Whitewater Banner article for more information.] A pop-up exhibit featuring photo portraits of first-generation Warhawk students, faculty, and staff is currently on display at Roberta’s Art Gallery, and students at both campuses are enjoying free giveaways all week.
Chancellor Corey A. King is one of several Warhawk faculty and staff members who were the first in their families to graduate from college and was one of the people featured in last year’s exhibit. He was recently named a top executive in southern Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Business Journal.
“College just opened the world for me,” King said in a video recording last fall. “From meeting people from various journeys and backgrounds and beliefs and ideas, gaining friends; it just really developed me personally, both inside and outside of the classroom.”
UW-Whitewater is dedicated to eliminating barriers to first-generation student success. Last fall, the university opened One Stop, a space dedicated to one-on-one support for students to direct them to resources on topics including financial aid, financial services, scholarships, advising, course registration, and student life.
Learn more about the ways UW-Whitewater supports and celebrates first-generation Warhawks at uww.edu/students/first-generation.
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by UW-Whitewater. A number of the students listed are likely not long-term Whitewater residents; however, they have registered with the city being their residence.
