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First-generation students at Stephen F. Austin State University will have two additional resources beginning this fall – First Generation Go and CareerSpring.

First Generation Go, a new organization for students whose parents did not complete a university degree, is housed in SFA’s Student Success Center and provides members with a cluster of classmates who share the same experiences and can together brave the ups and downs of college life. Students also have access to a national network of mentors and employers.

“The platform offers access to a video library, one-on-one conversations with professionals and the opportunity to build social capital,” said Dr. Hollie Smith, executive director of student life and interim director of the Center for Career and Professional Development. “Everything we can do to support our students is important.”

CareerSpring, a career portal offered jointly by the success center, the Rusche College of Business, and the Center for Career and Professional Development, will be available to incoming 2021 freshmen as a resource within the CCPD’s online career management platform, Handshake, and will offer exclusive job and internship opportunities to first-generation students.

Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the Rusche College of Business, was instrumental in bringing CareerSpring to campus.

“The services offered by CareerSpring are outstanding,” Bisping said. “Their mission aligns perfectly with ours in the Rusche College of Business, in that we seek to help our students launch great careers and become leaders in their fields. I am excited to see how this new partnership impacts the lives of our first-generation students.”

SFA is expecting approximately 835 first-generation students on campus this fall, with about 100 of these freshmen entering GenJacks, a cohort specifically designed for students who may not be familiar with college processes and standards.

The GenJacks curriculum comprises the first three semesters; Career Spring will support students in their junior and senior years and beyond, Smith said.

“Many GenJacks don’t have the resources or networks that other students have,” she said. “They don’t ‘know people who know people,’ so looking beyond college can be a challenge. With the two new programs, the hope is manifold: increase the number of GenJacks who enter the cohort their freshman year, retain them throughout college, and prepare them for a life and career after graduation.”

Kate Childress, Student Success Center coordinator, said the office is trying to connect with as many first-generation students as possible.

“It’s our job to keep them encouraged and be their supporters,” she said.

For more information about student success programs, visit www.sfasu.edu/ccpd.

By Richard Massey, Senior Marketing Communications Specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University