At Durham College the student experience comes first and the First Generation initiative provided by the Student Life office is an excellent example of this mission. First introduced in 2009 as a pilot project, the program is designed to encourage and support incoming students whose parents or guardians did not attend a post-secondary institution by providing assistance in the form of mentoring programs, orientation events, academic workshops, student bursaries and more. On average a third of all Durham College students are considered to be first generation.

Led by Lucy Romao Vandepol, First Generation student co-ordinator, the initiative provides the opportunity for students who enter post-secondary education unfamiliar with the college environment to familiarize themselves with everything on campus at their own pace.

“The key to the First Generation program is being able to build that rapport with students and letting them feel like they have someone on campus to go to,” said Romao Vandepol.

Working directly with first generation students, Romao Vandepol acts as host of Latte’s with Lucy, a frequently occurring workshop that brings together first generation students to answer questions and provide assistance during their time at Durham College.

“I didn’t know my way around or what would be expected of me but Lucy and the first generation group really filled in all those blanks for me,” said Mechanical Engineering Technician – Non-Destructive Evaluation student Clifford Roffey when asked about the program.

First generation students are invited to attend the next Latte’s with Lucy on Thursday, January 30 from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Student Services Building to learn more.