On Wednesday, November 5, 2014, TRiO Student Support Services took 25 students for a campus visit to San Francisco State University during the 9th Annual Bay Area Community College Transfer Day.
The event was kicked off by signature events, courtesy of the Project Connect Associated Student Initiative that serves historically marginalized communities from first-generation, low-income backgrounds. TRiO SSS students enjoyed a comprehensive tour of the campus led by admission representatives and student liaisons. Additionally, Kenneth Monteiro, Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies, delivered a keynote address underscoring the correlation between social justice and historical relays of power discussed in Ethnic Studies courses.
The event was a pivotal opportunity for students to learn about other additional resources beyond the classroom during breakout sessions. The SFSU Study Abroad office, scholarship liaisons, Liberal Arts and Creative Arts Departments, and the Colleges of Health, Business, Engineering and Teacher Education all hosted workshops. Jasari X, community organizer and hip hop artist, facilitated a special spoken word presentation and interactive dialectic on the school-to-prison pipeline.
The Bay Area Transfer Day program closed with a session led by current undergraduates at San Francisco State who shared their personal experiences and provided a glimpse into navigating the nuanced milieu of higher education as a first-generation student.
Article and photo by Arash Daneshzadeh
