Susan, left, and Chrissy Herren presented the initial scholarships from First Generation Women Achievers this past spring.
Regina Thompson is not a typical college student. An elementary education major at the University of Kentucky, she is 36 and has three daughters, ages 4, 8 and 12. Rather than participating in activities with friends on campus, Thompson often can be found with her three girls in tow. But instead of feeling self-pity for the extra work she has with caring for three children and handling her schoolwork, she sees her challenges as opportunities to inspire her girls and create a thirst in them for education.
Thompson is a first-generation college student whose parents are deceased. Her mother passed away when Thompson was only 13, and her father died just three years ago. A first-generation college student is one whose parent or parents have not attended college.
“My mom went to vocational school, and my dad was a blue-collar worker,” she said. “I know that me going to school would mean a lot for both of them. They always wanted me to do that. Any parent wants the best for their child, and the last thing my dad told me before he passed away was that he was very proud of me, so that made me feel better about going to school and about all these sacrifices I’m making.”
Still, those sacrifices are many, and they are challenging. Once she has finished her schooling, Thompson will need to take the Praxis test, a pricey teacher certification exam. While many students may be able to rely on their parents to foot the bill for a test that essentially allows them to enter the workforce, Thompson is on her own.
Enter the First Generation Women Achievers of the Bluegrass. The organization is a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers first-generation female students to further their college education with financial assistance and programs. Last spring, Thompson was named one of the program’s scholarship winners for the 2019-2020 school year.
Damaris Butoyi, left, and Regina Thompson, right, were among the first students to be awarded scholarships.
“This scholarship is so encouraging to me,” she said. “I had finished up all the major stuff that I had to do, and so now I need to take the Praxis exam. This scholarship allows me to be able to pay for the Praxis test and for the application fee to apply for the teacher education program. It can be so disheartening when you have to pay for things.
“I always look for signs. I won this scholarship, so that was a sign for me to keep going and that I’m on the right path.”
In addition to scholarships, First Generation also provides mentorship. Thompson had been a mentor before applying for the scholarship, and her mentoring showed the First Generation board that she was deserving of the award. She used her experience as a mother and nontraditional student to help others.
“I started at BCTC [Bluegrass Community and Technical College], and then I majored in elementary education at UK,” Thompson said, “and, just through the process of it all, met a friend who told me about UK Student Support Services. So I got involved, and they had a position open: They needed a parent mentor. So I did a parent support and peer mentor position. I stayed there for about two years being a parent support mentor.
“It’s just hard going to school and being a parent. It’s just hard going to school, period. I needed the same encouragement they needed.”
Giving that encouragement to first-generation college students—whether they are traditional or nontraditional—is the mission of First Generation Women Achievers of the Bluegrass founders Susan and Chrissy Herren. The mother-daughter duo founded the nonprofit in 2017 following a 2016 survey that Chrissy had conducted for her master’s degree thesis. The Herrens spent 2018 fundraising, and this past spring, the first class of recipients for the 2019-2020 school year was announced. First Generation already has received 15 scholarship applications for the next school year.
Chrissy received her master’s degree in community leadership development from UK’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and her thesis was on first-generation college students. Throughout graduate school, she mentored women from UK’s Student Support Services who primarily were first-generation college students.
“Through her research and through her experience teaching, we discovered that first-generation students have a unique platform they’re trying to navigate,” Susan said. “You don’t realize the advantages of having a college-educated parent until you’re out there on your own.”
Even simple things such as how to apply for classes, where to park, and how to get books can be daunting. Plus, classes, parking and books are expensive. In many cases, first-generation students don’t make it through school when these challenges become overwhelming, and they don’t have the support of family members who already have been through the process.
“We realized that these students need additional help,” said Susan, whose background is teaching high school English and fundraising. “We found out that many will not eat so they can pay for textbooks or gas for their car.”
She added that one student Chrissy interviewed had a 3.8 GPA but not enough money to take the Law School Admission Test.
“These First Generation scholarships provide supplemental money for tuition, textbooks, conferences or opportunities to go to leadership development,” Chrissy said.
Additionally, the program aims to partner members of the Lexington Junior League with scholarship applicants and winners, as sometimes mentorship can be as important as money.
To be eligible for a scholarship, which ranges from $500 to $1,000, applicants must be enrolled in the University of Kentucky, Transylvania University or BCTC. They must write a personal essay, be involved in extracurricular activities, and have a competitive GPA. Most applicants are referred through their college’s student support office, which was the case for Thompson.
The Herrens hope to continue fundraising and be able to increase their scholarships and create an endowment.
“We feel like females traditionally are maybe not looked after as closely as males,” Susan said. “The research has shown that, which is unfortunate, especially in STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] fields. It goes back generations.
“My mother was a first-generation college graduate and when she finished college, she wanted to go into the sciences and work as a laboratory research assistant, but girls were not channeled to do that … That, unfortunately, has often been the scenario for girls.”
In addition to the women she interviewed for her thesis, Chrissy was inspired by Dr. Judy Jackson, who is head of diversity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chrissy, who works full time for Bank of the Bluegrass, had heard Jackson speak about her life story and work, a story of overcoming struggle as a first-generation student.
“I also had an excellent graduate advisor who helped steer me with what to do with this,” Chrissy said, “and how to turn this tangible material into something that could help people.
“There are some heart-wrenching stories. These are all deserving young ladies. We have one [student] whose mom had just passed away, and her father was incarcerated, and she’s trying to get through school by herself. We have another who is a nontraditional student—a grandmother in her 60s. Regina [Thompson] has three children and works full time as a server at IHOP.”
For Thompson, the first thought of going back to school was intimidating, but she was determined.
“It was just something I always wanted to do. So when the time came, I wanted to further my education,” she said. “I have goals, and I want to further my life for me and my children … You get the thrill of being in education, and your children are watching you do it.”
Now, she said, her children go everywhere with her. She’s also a Big Sister in the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
“I just try to manage my time and include my kids in things. If I’m doing homework, I want us to all be at the table doing homework,” Thompson said. “My mentor said I could bring my kids with me if I had no one to watch them, so they get to experience it all with me.
“I want them to go further than I ever did. It motivates me to set a mark for the them, to pass that mark.”
For more information on First Generation Women Achievers of the Bluegrass, visit firstgenwomenbg.org.