First generation college-goers getting attention they need

MWOOD

October 13, 2014

[caption id="attachment_101123" align="alignleft" width="280"] Adam and Jaye Fenderson[/caption]

NORTH BAY -- When Adam Fenderson first started pitching the idea for the documentary First Generation a few years ago, “We couldn't get one single source of funding,” said the Napa-born filmmaker. “No one was listening. It just wasn't the conversation that was taking place at that time.”

Times have changed.

These days, new nonprofits, college and high school programs, websites, articles and social movements are centered around the special issues facing those students who are the first in their family to go to college.

The business community is particularly in tune to the needs of this group. After all, from a cost-benefit perspective, the relatively small amount of resources needed to help this sector are far outweighed by the social and economic benefits, explained Cynthia Murray, president of the North Bay Leadership Council, a consortium of the area's leading employers. “Education has the highest return on investment.”

In general, the kids who find their way into the "first generation" grouping are bright and motivated and many of them are star students. But they face two big challenges. Most come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds where the generations before them didn't go on to higher education and the higher paychecks that go along with it. Intimidating college costs keep them from even applying. The other big disadvantage is, since there is no family tradition of going to college, these kids usually don't have anyone to help them navigate the complexities of the system.

The nonprofit 10,000 Degrees, which helps low-income North Bay students get on the college track, explains the situation on their website:

"Even when students in middle school and high school are high-performing, if no one in their family went to college the likelihood that they will get all the information and support they need is unlikely.

“As early as age 12 students must advocate for themselves and set themselves up for success for the rest of their lives. Even with parental support and guidance only the most assertive students can navigate this system without additional support. Given that in many California schools there are up to 1,000 students assigned to each guidance counselor, it is impossible for each student to be given the individual attention needed to understand and complete all of the necessary steps. This doesn’t take into account a student’s self-limiting beliefs just based on simple exposure: understanding that college is important, that they can go to college, and that it is possible to pay for it."

As an example of how complex the college-going process can be, representatives at 10,000 Degrees point out that these young high school kids would need to figure out the logistics and funds to take the SAT and the ACT, write their personal essay and do college research, apply to multiple schools while paying up to $100 per application, make sure their parents file taxes before March 2, gather all of their parents’ financial information, get a FAFSA pin, apply for the FAFSA, apply for the Cal-Grant, apply for private scholarships, choose a college, and pay a registration deposit.

“There is so much these kids need to do and remember and they have to push and push and push to get the answers they need,” Mr. Fenderson said. “And a lot of the time, they don't even know which questions to ask. You don't know what you don't know."

For instance, he said “what you do know as a kid is that if you go into a Seven-11, you can't ask for a free candy bar. So, you just assume you can't call up a college and ask for free tuition. You don't realize that you might actually get it. Or, at least, they will work with you to make going to the school a possibility."

Recalling his own years at Vintage High School in Napa, Mr. Fenderson said, “In my mind, college was simply what you do after high school. I don't think it ever even occurred to me to question that.” His parents, a dentist and a retired nurse, were both well-educated, and instilled the expectation of higher education in their children. Plus, they naturally helped with all the logistics for Mr. Fenderson to go to the University of Southern California film school.

His wife, Jaye Fenderson, the co-filmaker for First Generation, graduated from Columbia University and then took a job at the school's admissions department. She soon learned of the hardships facing first generation students and made it her mission to help. Ms. Fenderson co-created and produced The Scholar, a non-scripted ABC television show in which 10 students competed for a full ride scholarship.

“I met Jaye when she was working on that program,” Mr. Fenderson said. “She pitched me on the idea of doing the documentary and I pitched her on the idea of getting married. And things have worked out great.”

The 90-minute documentary follows the lives of four high school students over three years as they attempt to become the first in their families to attend college. One of the four, “Jess,” is a star pupil and the vice-president of student council. She has a lot going for her. But the one thing she doesn't have is $50 to apply to the University of California.

“We showed up to film her one day and asked how the application process went," Mr. Fenderson said. "And she told us she couldn't apply and missed the deadline because of $50. It was heartbreaking. There was no one there to give her the information she needed and to help. For one thing, someone could have told her that the UC will waive its fees for applicants from low-income families."

“That's what we really wanted to do with this movie, to get the discussion going and get the information out there so these kids would at least have the knowledge of what's available,” he said.

That message has been getting through. Currently, through a partnership with Wells Fargo, the film is being screened throughout the country during a 10-city national tour as part of the GO College Initiative.

"We've been bringing together the filmmakers, educators, experts, civic and community leaders as well as students and teachers at these screenings," said Jason Vasques, a spokesman with Wells Fargo. Mr. Vasques added that he had just returned from a screening in Minneapolis "and it was amazing to see the response. This message has really been resonating with so many people.”

According to Mr. Vasques, the award-winning film has reached an audience of over 13,000 at screenings so far, and more than 1 million people have joined the discussion across social media channels.

“It seems that everywhere you turn, people are talking about the problems facing first generation students,” he said.

When Dominican University was honored as the Business of the Year during an awards ceremony in Marin County recently, one of the things the institution was lauded for was helping first generation students navigate their way through the higher education system.

Named one of the best regional colleges in the west in September's U.S. News & World Report annual rankings, Dominican has, for many years, been setting up programs, mentorships and scholarships specifically for students who are the first in their family to attend college. About 48 percent of Dominican's 1,600 undergrads come from ethnically diverse backgrounds, and 27 percent are first generation college students.

The university will soon be expanding its services with the infusion of $12.5 million from a successful East Coast businessman. It is the largest donation in the university's 124-year history.

Andrew Barowsky never attended Dominican University. In fact, he had never even lived in California. But his former business partner had a sister who taught at Dominican. She had told Mr. Barowsky about all the bright students, with loads of potential, who were struggling with college because they simply didn't have the family background to help them along their path.

Mr. Barowsky was so moved by the stories that he became involved with the university, eventually became a member of the board of trustees, and is now the chair. He has continued to live in Miami and commutes to Marin for board meetings.

Mr. Barowsky's gift was accompanied by an additional $5 million donation from his former business partner Albert Lepage. The new Francoise O. Lepage Center for Global Innovation is being named after the benefactor's sister. She's the professor who told Mr. Barowsky about all those great kids.

Some of the combined funds will also go toward establishing the Barowsky School of Business. But, one of the most important aspects of the funding is that Dominican plans to restructure the student support system so that students have even more help and guidance throughout their college career.

[caption id="attachment_101124" align="alignright" width="256"] Mary Marcy[/caption]

“The Dominican Experience is being designed to give all of our students an education that will prepare them well for their careers and lives, and will be particularly beneficial for our first-generation students,” said Mary Marcy, president of Dominican University. “Integrated advising, a critical feature of the Dominican Experience, will help first-generation students take full advantage of the academic and social benefits of higher education, by providing mentoring and comprehensive advising regarding curricular and co-curricular options.”

The mentoring is planned to go through the students' entire college career and up until the time they find a job. Of course, some jobs require more than a four-year college degree. So, a couple of weeks ago, Mr. Barowsky donated a million dollars to establish a fellowship benefiting students of Domincan University who want to pursue a graduate degree at his alma mater, the University of Rochester in New York. The fellowship will eventually support five graduate students per year.

Ms. Murray, at the Leadership Council, said business leaders and society as a whole need to support these students. "We need these young people to get a higher education," she said. "We are very concerned because we are facing a talent shortage. Baby Boomers are retiring and Latino students (many of which are first generation college-goers) are the future. And the jobs of the future require higher education."