Opportunities and Experiences of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program

First-Generation College Student & Mother of Two, and the Advantages of Joining McNair

I have learned about the many valuable opportunities and new educational experiences that are available to college students. The importance and necessity of outreach programs became apparent when I realized that being a first-generation college student means more than praise for the success. It means that students are more likely to face general barriers and are less likely to have the necessary support to achieve their degree. It also means that the opportunities that exist beyond an undergrad are unfamiliar, nor is a graduate degree often pursued. From what I have learned so far, I can give myself a little more grace and forgiveness for dropping out of college my freshman year. At no fault to my parents, but they could not have known how to support me, nor prepare me for the challenges I was up against. Even though they were proud of my accomplishments and supportive of my decision to go to school, it wasn't a catastrophe that I dropped out. Life goes on and there are always other ways to live without a degree, so that is what I decided to do for thirteen years before returning to higher education. 

The Program Changes the Future and Impacts Generations.

In the last five years I have earned an associate degree, and I am near completion of a Bachelor of Arts, but I hadn't ever considered graduate school an option until I was introduced to the McNair program. Now I don't envision my future without it. The same feeling goes for research and publishing. I understand the critical nature of TRIO programs that reach out to students that are at a disadvantage, and I wish there were more available and accessible. An outreach program may have even prevented me from dropping out the first time I was here, nearly two decades ago. In the short time I have been in the program, I have learned of many scholarly activities, as well as many more undergraduate and graduate schools and their programs. I understand the importance of a curriculum vitae, a personal statement and recommendation letters, and I am familiar with the admissions process to several different graduate schools. However, the most significant sentiment I now hold, is the awareness of the considerable impact that my decision to go to college, and to be a part of the McNair program, will have on my children's futures. No matter what I decide to do after graduation, the greatest part of this journey is how the resources and experience I expect to gain will increase my ability to help my children navigate higher education. This is not an accidental consequence of the program; it is by design the deliberate intention.