First-generation Ignatian Celebration Invites Collaboration and Education

The Loyola Scholars Programs hosted a celebratory event for first-generation students, staff and faculty 12:30-2 p.m. in the Damen MPR Nov. 4. 

The event was held in honor of National First Generation College Celebration Day, established in 2017 as a Nov. 8 tradition by the Council for Opportunity in Education, according to Director of Scholars Programs Marissa Luchessi.

Lucchessi said the event was held for the first time last year, though this is the first year the Scholars Program partnered with the Division of Mission Integration which provides opportunities to deepen faculty’s Jesuit faith to incorporate the event into Ignatian Heritage Month. 

The Scholars Programs also partnered with the Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to host the event. 

Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dominique Jordan Turner illuminated how Jesuit values foster a welcoming culture for first-gen students.

“When we walk with and for these students by removing barriers and fostering belonging, we live out our value of cura personalis and strengthen our shared commitment to justice and opportunity,” Turner wrote in an email to the Phoenix. “First-generation students bring extraordinary resilience, perspective, and leadership to our campus community. They remind us that talent is universal, even if opportunity is not.” 

The event allowed first-generation students to learn about campus resources and groups, including the Tutoring Center, Career Services, the Center for Student Inclusion and Belonging, the Graduate, Professional and Adult Student Council and Arrupe College, according to Lucchessi.

“The amount of partnerships that went into this event are massive,” Lucchessi said. “It feels like we are very much unified as a campus community to celebrate our first generation students at Loyola. And that makes me super, super proud.”

Fourth-year advertising and public relations major Jacquelyn Garcia said she had never previously attended a first generation celebration. Garcia, who previously attended Richard J. Daley Community College, said she attended the event to hear the stories of keynote speakers, including alumnus Bernardo Gomez, a policy advisor from Mayor Johnson’s office of community safety. 

During his speech, Gomez shared his journey from high school to his current position in the Mayor’s office. 

Gomez, whose parents are from Mexico, was raised in a high-violence area of Chicago with two younger siblings. His parents divorced, which Gomez said motivated him and his siblings to leave their household.

“At 16, I had to live alone, take on multiple jobs, so I knew that reaching for higher education was something that I just needed to do in order to survive and achieve the goals that I wanted,” Gomez said. “But I also had two siblings at the time that depended on me. For me, going to college was the only option, because I wanted to give back to my family and to my community.”

Gomez said he made a promise to his grandmother that he would go to college.

After frequent walks with his grandmother along Loyola’s lakefront path, Gomez said he was inspired to attend Loyola. He learned about the university’s political science and law programs and performed well enough in high school to receive a scholarship.

“There were amazing programs here that I was very fortunate to be a part of and a lot of classes that I was super engaged in,” Gomez said. “It was so fun, and it definitely opened my eyes, of wanting to get into immigration, into politics. It was probably one of my best decisions to go to Loyola because, one, I kept my promise to my grandma. Two, it made me the person that I am today.”

Gomez said he has always desired to improve living conditions in Chicago communities affected by violence, which motivated him to work in the mayor’s office. He said he hopes his story encourages first-generation students facing similar barriers he faced and inspires students to utilize campus resources, such as the ACE Program, which helped him succeed, and who invited him to speak at the first gen celebration. 

Specifically, Gomez said the ACE program provided essential guidance on completing the FAFSA and receiving the financial aid which allowed him to afford college. He graduated from Loyola in 2023 with a degree in political science and global studies and a Spanish minor. 

Attendee Garcia said the warmth of faculty at the event has made her feel more welcome as a first generation student, particularly a faculty member from the Students Together are Reaching Success (STARS) program, an undergraduate peer mentor program under the Center for Student Inclusion and Belonging.

Garcia said she identifies as Latino. After attending a mostly Latino high school and Daley Community College, which is also mostly Latino, Garcia felt a slight “cultural shock” upon transferring to Loyola as a junior.

“She just asked us, ‘How were our classes?’” Garcia said. “And we were just like, ‘Oh, we’re kind of struggling right now,’ just because there’s about to be, not finals yet, but we’re getting there. So she was just like, ‘Oh, if you guys are stressed, you can stop by.’ So that was nice to hear.”

Lucchessi said Gomez’s narrative illustrates the factors beyond physical campus resources which contribute to first generation students’ success. 

“In addition to the physical resources, like receiving tutoring or joining a career community or getting involved with graduate and professional adult student life, things like mentorship and resilience and self confidence, those, while they are not tangible, are equally as powerful when it comes to being successful as a first-generation student,” Lucchessi said.

Lucchessi said she hopes the campus partners who collaborated with the Scholars Programs host their own events to celebrate their first-generation students in future years. 

Additionally, Lucchesi appreciated the presence of students who do not identify as first generation at the event. 

“There were allies in the community that were like, ‘I know that this community is incredibly important to who I am as a Rambler, and so I wanted to take time out of my day to go and support this event, even though I don’t necessarily identify personally as first-generation,’ and I think that really speaks to the beauty of our community at Loyola,” Lucchessi said. “We very much value diversity here, and I think that’s incredible.”