Certain experiences can enrich a college education—if students pursue them. Although first-generation students show greater gains from “high impact” programs like study abroad and senior projects, they are less likely to participate, according to a report published in 2008 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Kalamazoo College is trying to make one such experience, internships, more accessible. “The thinking was, for first-generation students, ... it was really challenging to deeply engage in doing something over the summer besides really trying to earn money,” says the provost, Michael A. McDonald.
For many years the college, which has about 1,400 students, had provided small field-experience grants for unpaid internships or “externships,” short-term career-shadowing stints. But those funds were not necessarily enough for low-income students to cover their costs or make enough money for the following semester. Now, with a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation and the Council of Independent Colleges, the college is able to give any first-generation student who wins one of the awards an additional $3,000 for an internship, or $500 for an externship.
But Kalamazoo disbursed less than it had expected: Last year only 13 students qualified. A faculty committee reviewed applications for the initial grants, approving about half, and several first-generation students didn’t make the cut. Their applications weren’t as competitive, and they didn’t get internships. “Making the opportunity more accessible,” says Mr. McDonald, “didn’t necessarily translate into more students taking advantage of it.”
This year career counselors will work with first-generation students on their applications. A newly formed student group, G1, is scheduling help sessions at Kalamazoo’s career center on résumé writing and interview skills. And at an orientation brunch on the campus, in western Michigan, a few older students shared their stories, allowing first-generation students and their families to hear about the importance of career exploration.
LaShawn Etheridge, a sophomore from Detroit, applied the college’s grant to an internship last summer with Food & Friends, a nonprofit organization in Washington that provides meals and nutrition counseling to people with severe illnesses. She became increasingly interested in issues of social justice and hunger, and she hopes to develop a related research project this summer, before studying abroad in Botswana next year.
As a freshman, Ms. Etheridge says, she knew about resources at Kalamazoo, if not how to find them. The brunch provided a heads-up, as well as reassurance from the president, provost, and several professors who attended. This year she echoed their motivational talks to new students.
“I just encouraged them to go and explore their opportunities,” she says. “There’s so much support here.”