Massasoit President: Supports for 1st-gen college students

By Guest

By Ray DiPasquale, Massasoit Community College President

In recognition of the National First-Generation College Celebration on November 8, I’d like to share some resources for individuals who are first in their family to attend college, along with some personal thoughts and experiences.

At Massasoit Community College, we are committed to providing services for students to succeed, earn their degree on time, and transfer to a four-year institution or jumpstart their career. The different supports we offer vary and are tailored to each student’s needs — academic, financial, or otherwise. We strive to ensure that first-generation students, which account for two-thirds of our student population, have access to these services, because they often face a number of unique barriers and challenges.

I understand their struggles because I was a first-generation student. Neither of my parents graduated from high school, so getting a college degree didn’t seem like a possibility. But a cousin of mine who worked at Arkansas Tech convinced me to enroll there.

His persistence and help changed my life because my degree opened innumerable doors for me, as it does for millions of Americans every year.

A college degree is a vital asset when looking to start a career, build financial independence, and climb the socioeconomic ladder. But if earning a degree was easy, everyone would have one.

At Massasoit, our Student Central was specifically designed as a one-stop location to help students with processes like admission, registration, and financial aid. By centralizing these services, we’ve made it easier for students to begin their college journey.

Once enrolled, Massasoit offers free tutoring to all students — 24/7 — through a combination of in-person or remote tutoring and a partnership with eTutoring, a web-based tutoring platform. We also have several student support programs specially designed to help full- and part-time students. While our federally funded TRiO program offers one-on-one academic advising, financial aid counseling, grant aid scholarships, and more for first-generation students, students who are low-income, and students with disabilities, we also have programs to help students who are raising children or are veterans.

But academic support is just one piece of the puzzle. Massasoit CARES and our Center for Basic Needs Security can help students locate healthcare, food services, housing, services for children, and other resources to help with household expenses. We even operate a food pantry and community closet on our Brockton campus.

Our community cherishes these programs because of the positive impact they have on our students. They know that we are here to help and that we care about their wellbeing. Taken together, students who receive these supports outpace their peers in terms of academic success, retention, and degree completion.

While many challenges I faced in college persist, because of the robust supports now offered by colleges and universities, it is easier than ever for first-generation students to earn a college degree. It is our hope that these students take the leap of faith to enroll in college, and trust that when they struggle, there will always be caring professionals ready to help them overcome challenges and find success.

Ray DiPasquale is president of Massasoit Community College, which has campuses in Brockton, Canton, and Middleborough. November 8 marked the National First-Generation Student Celebration organized by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

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