By Meredith Haas ’24, co-editor-in-chief
Navigating the college system is by no means easy but being a first-generation student—a student whose parents have not completed a 4-year degree—poses an additional set of challenges in unfamiliar territory.
Fortunately for LVC’s campus community, Chad Schell, academic success coach and Dutchmen First coordinator, knows firsthand what it means to be a first-gen student.
“I took the position as academic success coach, and it was sort of an additional detail that I would be leading the first-gen program,” Schell said. “In doing some research for that, I realized, ‘Wow, I’m first-gen myself.’ I didn’t ever really have any resources or hear about anything like that when I went to school.”
While the first-gen program at LVC was established prior to Schell’s role in the Center for Academic Success and Exploratory Majors (CASEM), it only consisted of students meeting a few times per semester for lunch.
However, beginning around Thanksgiving of 2021, the program was handed over to Schell, who would go on to make a big push for the program to have an increased presence on campus. After only two years, the program has tripled in size.
“The main goal of Dutchmen First is to provide a support system for these students and build a community,” Schell said.
Dutchmen First not only provides a support system for students, but it also offers mentorship, one-on-one academic coaching opportunities, financial assistance and even workshops relevant to both the college experience and life beyond.
“Part of the development process was building workshops that are built around giving students information that they may not have otherwise had,” Schell said. “They are specifically designed around a student’s academic journey.”
Some examples of workshops include information about scholarships and Breen Center presentations on developing a personal brand. For older students, there have been workshops about resume building, job searching, securing internships, navigating career websites and even financial literacy.
Beyond that, Dutchmen First teams with other resources on campus to host de-stress events where the importance of stress reduction and finding balance is emphasized, as well as nights of service where students can give back to the local community.
While Dutchmen First is an excellent resource for students to learn more about the processes of being a college student, it doubles as a way of recognizing and normalizing the struggle that can come along with being first-gen.
“A lot of first-gen students are balancing a bit more when it comes to the financial side of things,” Schell said. “Whether it’s commuting, working, all while trying to take a full course load of credits. Just trying to provide them with any kind of resources is huge.”
Dutchmen First serves as a reminder for all LVC students that a lack of generational privilege or access to higher education is not a barrier to success. Dutchmen First is committed to providing students with the tools needed to be successful on LVC’s campus and far beyond.
In addition to resources, Dutchmen First offers a $500 scholarship per year to students committed to participating in the programs and workshops.
Students who are interested in becoming a part of Dutchmen First can contact Chad Schell directly at schell@lvc.edu or visit www.lvc.edu/academics/dutchmen-first/.