Alfie Scholars Welcomes First-Gens!
70% of our Alfie Scholars are first-generation college students. At Seattle University, “first-generation college students” are those who are the first in their family to go to college and whose parents did not earn a U.S. bachelor’s degree. All the First-Gen Alfie Scholars talk about ways in which the Alfie Junior Summer Program helped ease their transition from community college to the University by familiarizing them with the campus resources, by explicitly demonstrating the academic expectations and strategies to meet them, and by providing them with a “family” that is ever ready to support, advise, and inspire.
Hear interviews of four First-Gen Alfie Scholars from the Project First-Gen Podcast, co-created by First-Gen Alfie Scholar Chhavi Mehra.
Applications for the Alfie Scholars Program are due April 30, 2020.
Jorge Arturo Lara Alvarado
“My inspiration to pursue structural engineering is to create connections. I want to build bridges… as structures but also in terms of human connections and access to resources.”
Photo by Jimmy Lim
In this episode, you’ll hear from Jorge Arturo Lara Alvarado. He is an Alfie Scholar and a Bannan Scholar at Seattle University majoring in civil engineering. At a young age, his parents instilled in him the value of education as a tool to get out of poverty. Born in Mexico City, Alvarado moved to the U.S. at the age of 18 and worked hard to help pay for his sister’s education in Mexico. Nearly ten years later, he fell into Structural Engineering by “accident” and wanted to build bridges that are not only structures for him but also represent human connection and access to resources. Both finances and being far away from home were among his biggest concerns before to college. But that didn’t stop Alvarado from pursuing a college education. He got his G.E.D. from Seattle Central College and earned his A.A. from North Seattle College, where he was excited to wake up early for math classes. In 2017, he transferred to Seattle University and was particularly drawn to the Engineering Department’s dynamic capstone projects, small class sizes, and the collaboration between professors and students. “The main support I’ve received is Alfie Scholars….It’s not that I have to come in the first day of fall quarter and start from zero; I already knew some people; I already knew my Alfie Scholars family, and from there on, getting involved was so much easier, the transition was so much easier.” “I’m a first-generation college student, and I am resilient.”
Advice to my younger self: Believe in yourself. Be gentle with yourself. Love yourself. You’re amazing.
Profile Link: https://www.alfiescholars.org/2017-bios/alvarado-lara-alvarado
Podcast Link: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/project-firstgen/e/67065667#/
Stephanie Sanchez
“I am a first-generation college student, and I am killing it!”
In this episode, you’ll hear from Stephanie Sanchez. She is a Puerto Rican first-generation college student, an Alfie Scholar, and a senior majoring in nursing at Seattle University. Sanchez was raised in a single-parent household, so college was never a priority. Sanchez is a full-time college student, a wife, and a proud mother of three kids. Before going to college, her biggest concerns were how to balance both her family and the course rigor. In 2018, she earned her A.A. from Highline College and transferred to Seattle University, because she was drawn to the University’s holistic admission process, the atmosphere, the small class sizes, and the one-on-one interaction with her professors. However, she was soon presented with financial challenges, in addition to feeling isolated from campus because she was a commuter student and couldn’t participate in campus events. “Honestly, if I wasn’t an Alfie Scholar, I would have struggled a lot more.” In her parenting, she makes a conscious effort to let her kids witness her (very rare) academic failures so that they know and understand that life is not easy. Sanchez wants to instill in her kids the values of Puerto Rican culture and genuine love. “My home is where my heart is, where my kids are at, my husband is at because the reality is that I have seasons of plenty and seasons of none.” “I am a first-generation college student, and I am killing it.”
Advice to my younger self: Appreciate what you have. Don’t take for granted the moments you have to impart or to spend time with your grandparents, your parents, or those who genuinely love you.
Profile Link: https://www.alfiescholars.org/2018-bios/sanchez-sanchez
Podcast Link: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/project-firstgen/e/67299844
Elizabeth “Liz” Vargas
“I am a first-generation college student, and I am so proud of myself.”
Elizabeth (Liz) Vargas: In this episode, you’ll hear from Liz Vargas, an Alfie Scholar majoring in social work at Seattle University. Vargas grew up in a small town called Aguascalientes in Central Mexico. Most of her peers dropped out of high school because of the high cost of education in Mexico and the lack of transportation to the nearest high school. Once she turned 14, she knew that that was the end of her educational adventure. Vargas was fascinated by the Hollywood image of big classrooms and big libraries, and her dream came true when she moved to the U.S. at the age of 15. Her biggest concern before going to college was the language barrier, so she took English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at her local community college for the next two years. Time and again she felt defeated due to the lack of support from her advisors. So she enrolled at a local beauty school instead and gained professional experience. “I just wanted to do something more.” At 27 years old, Vargas went back to college and earned her A.A. from Highline College. In 2019, she enrolled at Seattle University because she liked the idea of a smaller community. “I’m an Alfie Scholar, and it is such a wonderful program, and I was privileged enough to meet people, to have a support system, and to meet wonderful people.” Vargas hopes to use her Spanish-speaking skills to encourage children to pursue a college education. “I am a first-generation college student, and I am so proud of myself.”
Advice to my younger self: Just don’t stop believing in yourself, and you’re going to be able to do it, and just keep doing it.
Profile Link: https://www.alfiescholars.org/2019-cohort-bios/evargasabeth-vargas
Podcast Link: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/project-firstgen/e/67794624
Chhavi Mehra
“I am a first-generation college student, and I am enjoying every moment of it, and I am grateful for every moment of it.
Chhavi Mehra: In this episode, you’ll hear from Chhavi Mehra, an Alfie Scholar and an international student from India majoring in journalism at Seattle University. Mehra grew up in a patriarchal society where men ran most of the conversations and women were expected to start a family and do household chores. In high school, she majored in science because of societal and peer pressure. During high school, actively participating in poem recitals, debate competitions, and emceeing events really excited her, and she fell in love with communications. However, she felt defeated because of her grades in high school until one day her dad took her to a study-abroad fair. In 2015, Mehra came to the U.S. and enrolled at South Seattle College where she majored in journalism to find her voice and to help elevate the voices of marginalized communities. Her biggest concerns before going to college were language and academic barriers, and cultural and financial challenges. In 2017, she earned her A.A. from South Seattle College and transferred to Seattle University because she loved the small class sizes and one-on-one interaction with her professors. “I think I really really want to thank the Alfie Scholars Program. They have provided me with the resources, the right mentors who are there to guide you and support you throughout your journey.” “I am a first-generation college student, and I am enjoying every moment of it, and I am grateful of every moment of it.”
Advice to my young self: Chill out. Be grateful for every moment. Live in the present.
Profile Link: https://www.alfiescholars.org/2018-bios/mehra-mehra
Podcast Link: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/project-firstgen/e/67733220
