Before general orientation begins, first-generation first years gather on campus to get to know Wesleyan and college life as a whole. The pre-orientation, called First Things First, is a program to help first generation and low-income students build a community and support system.
Caridad Cruz ’21 was in charge of organizing the First Things First program this year.
“The First Things First program is a pre-orientation that’s supposed to strive to help first-generation and low-income students basically acclimate to campus,” they explained. “We use the word acclimate specifically because we do not want y’all to assimilate. We do not want y’all to forget your heritage or culture or upbringing just to fit into this predominantly white and wealthy institution.”
This is the third year the program has been running, and it’s still in its pilot phase. Its major concern is getting itself to a state of stability and structure, since it has been exchanging hands under different offices for the past three years.
“It wouldn’t be knowledgeable to put a baby program in the hands of a baby center,” Cruz said. “I wanted people to have fun, I wanted people to feel supported, that they would be able to remember each other outside of the program. I wanted to make sure that every single student would be able to see each other later on campus and be like, ‘Oh, I know who you are, I remember you from the First Things First program.’”
Olivia Najera ’21 was an orientation leader for the First Things First program for this year and also participated as a student the year before.
“It was just very supportive, and gave me an idea on what Wesleyan can do for me,” Najera said.
Najera emphasized the gap in experience that first-generation and low-income students must navigate when they first get to campus.
“If you’re first-gen and low-income it’s a whole different process really,” Najera explained. “I think that’s why it means so much more, because you don’t really have a space like that. It’s a way different experience from what most people have seen, and when you go into regular orientation, you just cannot relate to what they’re talking about, so I think that having the First Things First program with just us on campus along with ISO (International Student Orientation) makes it a lot easier to transition emotionally.”
Amaya Binns ’21, who was also an Orientation Leader this year, says that she simply wanted to give everybody a memorable experience.
“I wanted to spread those emotions I felt,” she said. “I wanted to give my students a sense of comfort as well as a safe space between me and them that could blossom into friendship.”
The training of becoming an orientation leader, however, required a lot of empathy and hard work on the Orientation Leaders’ part.
“The training of becoming a First Things First orientation leader was a long and crucial process,” Binns explained. “We put ourselves in our students’ shoes and found ways to speak to our students so that we have an inclusive, safe environment with us at a school that’s so vast and big once everyone else comes back.”
I write this now, having been a participant in the program myself. Upon reflection, I believe that there’s high value in having a space for P.O.C. and low-income and first-generation students. For me, First Things First was my first community here at Wesleyan, and it proved to be invaluable during my first few weeks transitioning here to the University. I, like many other students, of course experienced Imposter Syndrome when coming here. The difference between being able to make it through Imposter Syndrome and succumbing to it, however, depended solely on the support that I received from the program. Every time I felt like I didn’t belong, I had someone else to talk to.
One of the bigger complaints heard about regular orientation is that the groups weren’t really close or intimate enough. The biggest takeaway of the First Things First program is that first years can still connect to the people who participated in it. Being a first generation student from a low-income background can feel extremely isolating, especially without a familial resource to help you go through the process. Since students don’t really have anyone else to help them, it’s extremely reassuring to meet people who are on a similar boat and to support each other.
Jada Reid ’22 also participated in the First Things First program this year. Like me, Reid felt a sense of imposter syndrome coming to Wesleyan.
“It gave me a sense of belonging before the imposter syndrome kicked in, and the imposter syndrome had something to fight with, which is my experience with First Things First and what it gave me,” Reid said.
Students received technical resources on who to go to if we needed support, of course, but what really helped was finding community among the student body.
“My favorite memory was probably the nerf gun and flag football game,” Reid said. “I felt really included, and it was also just very fun with the physical action, but also teaming up with everybody including the OLs was especially exciting, and I thought that we all bonded well because of that.”
Because First Things First is still in its pilot phase, it is unknown if the program will continue.
“The data that everyone gave us is really going to determine what’s going to happen,” Cruz said. “It really was our purpose to bring you into this new network that exists within Wesleyan, low-income students helping and supporting each other out.”
Kevin Le can be reached at kle01@wesleyan.edu.