John Carroll’s motto, “Belong. Become. Be a Blue Streak,” is more than just words for first-generation (first-gen) students Tyler Capron ‘25 and Nathan Burkett ‘25. They aspire to put these words into action by cultivating opportunities for current and future first-gen students at JCU.
This fall semester, Capron and Burkett have been working as interns with the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion (CSDI). Overseen by Graduate Assistant Yub Kim, Capron and Burkett plan to form a first-generation student club and honor society. They strive to expand the first-gen opportunities at John Carroll, pairing students with professionals and alumni through networking events.
Burkett told The Carroll News that, while the internship was intended for one person, Kim saw potential in both Burkett and Capron. “Tyler was more specialized in the student org[anization] world and I was more specialized in academics,” Burkett told The Carroll News. He aims to provide networking experience and academic motivation for first-gen students through the creation of an honor society. “Essentially, I want the honor society to be a resource and an outlet for first generation students to achieve academic excellence,” he said.
Furthermore, Burkett explains that a minimum 3.2 GPA is required for the honor society. “The goal is to have those students who have met [a 3.2 GPA] go beyond those stars in terms of everything, not just within the classroom but within the professional world.” Burkett later stated that, once the student is inducted, that student is granted lifetime membership.
Burkett understands the difficulty in steering a college schedule as a first-gen student and acknowledges that it can be daunting when most peers do not come from a similar experience.
“There’s always been a chip on my shoulder about being first-gen, knowing that we are at John Carroll and there’s a lot of legacy students here, which there is no shame in that… but there’s definitely an overwhelming amount who don’t know how to navigate John Carroll or college in general just yet. The honors society is looking to help those students,” said Burkett.
Even though Burkett has solid grounding for this honor society, he foresees challenges with understanding awareness of first-gen students since John Carroll’s definition of a first-gen student differs from the federal government’s definition. “There are people who are walking around everyday not understanding that they are going through a unique experience.”
To counteract the potential misunderstanding, Burkett plans to raise awareness among older students who may not know that they are first-gen students. In the future, he hopes to find a way to recruit first-years, despite the fact that they do not possess a GPA when first enrolled. “While managing expectations, I want to bring the honor society to such an elevated level that whoever’s following is going to keep bringing it up and up and up,” Burkett said.
Also in store for the first-gen honor society is a partnership with the Ignatian Scholars and the first-gen student organization that is being formed under Capron.
Reflecting on his first two years at John Carroll, Capron was unaware of the support provided by CSDI to first-gen students. “The CSDI office is obviously a great resource that sends students on their way. I thought that I could figure that out on my own freshman and sophomore year. Looking back now, I wish I would’ve leaned into those resources,” Capron told The Carroll News.
Capron’s vision for first-gen students is to help them acclimate to college life and feel like they have a place at John Carroll. “My main goal going into this is to create a sense of belonging for first-gen students. Research shows that first-gen students have trouble getting more integrated and feeling a sense of belonging on campus,” Capron said.
Looking towards the future of the student organization, Capron reveals talk of collaborating with the Career Closet and ResLife. “We have talked about potentially setting up a drive for the career closet. There’s even been talk about incorporating first-gen in LLCs.”
Down the line, Capron would like to recruit prospective students, while involving freshmen and sophomores at John Carroll. “I would also love to get into high school because going through the college process is a huge thing for first-gen [students]. When you get here, those disparities tend to close as you get into junior and senior year as you make those connections.”
Capron continues, “I would love to pair with high schools in the area… and get that ball rolling from the start. So start with our freshmen and sophomores but work towards high schools.”
Ultimately, Burkett and Capron’s collective initiatives cover an issue that hits home. By working closely together and with their internship director, they plan to concretize their goals and make John Carroll accommodating for these communities.
