Colorado State's First-Generation Scholarship Program Fulfills State Of The Union Mission
Wednesday, February 4, 1998
Note to Editors: The 1997-8 First Generation Award
Recognition Dinner Feb. 9 will honor 268 award recipients
and their families. Distinguished First-Generation Scholar
honors will be conferred on Brigette Bustos, James Gonzales,
Angela Gwynn, Dianne Holland, Tae' Nosaka, and Ramon Perez.
This special evening, which begins at 5:15 p.m., celebrates
the academic and personal achievements of first generation
students and demonstrates the commitment of Colorado State
to encourage students from all backgrounds to complete their
education. President Yates will extend the official welcome
and Anne Putman, First Generation Award Committee Member of
the State Board of Agriculture, will host the event.
FORT COLLINS--When President Clinton in his State of the
Union Address underlined his desire to provide college education
for all students, Colorado State University student Dianne
Holland listened intently.
Holland, a senior in the College of Applied Human Sciences'
occupational therapy program, knows what it is like to be the
first in her family to attain a college education. She credits
Colorado State's First Generation Program with providing her with
the support, both financially and emotionally, that she needed to
graduate this May.
"Colorado State and the First Generation scholarship have
changed my life and really opened up a whole world of
possibilities that I had never allowed myself to think about,"
Holland said. "Financially, dreams of college just weren't
feasible, but I knew there was something more to life than what I
was doing."
Colorado State created the First Generation Award Program 13
years ago to provide higher-education opportunities for students
who are the first generation of their families to attend college.
The program also was designed to promote diversity within the
university's student population.
Holland, 34, said she was never enthused about academics
until she helped her husband start a bricklaying business. At
that point, she began accounting classes at Front Range Community
College and felt a spark of energy when she realized how much she
loved learning.
"I was amazed at the excitement I felt about being back in
the classroom, so when I found out about the First Generation
scholarship from a friend, my dreams suddenly seemed possible,"
she said.
Now, Holland said she looks forward to her graduation in
May, followed by internships at Poudre Valley Hospital and Spring
Creek Health Center. Eventually, she would like to work in
hippotherapy, using horses and the human-animal bond to empower
people with disabilities.
James Gonzales, a graphic arts senior in the College of
Liberal Arts, credits the First-Generation award for bringing him
to Colorado State.
Gonzales, a Colorado Springs native, said the financial
aspects of a college education were daunting to his family, but
the challenge of the college experience was even greater.
"The First Generation award has really provided the
stability I needed in college," said Gonzales. "My parents have
been a wonderful support system, but because my parents haven't
gone to college, they just can't answer some of the questions
I've had about the whole process. The scholarship gave me a
chance to really experience student life and provided the
resources to understand what I needed to do to excel."
Since 1984, the program has awarded $7.03 million to 1,122
people. This school year, the program will award a total of
$766,000 to 268 people, which includes 79 first-time award
winners along with 189 students who have renewed their
scholarships. First-generation recipients have a grade-point
average equivalent to or higher than the university average.
"The First Generation Award is a dramatic and successful
representation of the university's continuing land grant
commitment to make education accessible to deserving applicants
from all classes and groups, regardless of socio-economic
circumstances," said Paul Thayer, director of the Center for
Educational Access and Outreach. "This program really fosters
excellence among the graduates who will serve our society."
"It is truly an incredible group," said Barbara Musslewhite,
program coordinator for the First Generation Award program.
"Every year, I am struck by the overwhelming pool of talented
students that we have. It has become even more difficult to
select award winners because of the outstanding caliber of
candidates."
Students interested in the scholarship must be state
residents who demonstrate financial need and have been admitted
to Colorado State in a degree program. Applicants for the award
also write essays that are judged for evidence of leadership and
academic potential.
Musslewhite said the award recipients aren't the only ones
to benefit from the program. Family members, including Holland's
older brother, often follow the example of their First Generation
children or siblings.
"My brother has now started classes at night. He basically
said, 'If you can do it, so can I,'" Holland said. "I just hope
that other people will allow themselves to dream and pursue the
resources that are out there."
Community interest for the program also continues to grow.
In 1996, FirstBank of Northern Colorado committed $60,000 to the
First-Generation Scholarship Award program. The grant provides
annual tuition and fees for five Colorado State First-Generation
scholars. FirstBank's contributions to the university now total
more than $110,000.
To find out more about the First-Generation Award Program,
call the Center for Educational Access and Outreach at (970) 491-
6473.
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