Arleth Martinez, a senior sociology major, runs cross country along with track and field. She didn’t even run in high school. Before moving to Goshen in 2017, Martinez was running in California. “But then when I moved to Goshen High School, I was like ‘new people, scary, I’m not doing this,’” she recounted.  With her time away from running, Martinez wasn’t sure how joining the team in college would go. “I did think it was gonna be, like, pretty stressful trying to manage my time and figure it out,” she said. “But I’ve actually found that to me, it’s sort...

By Sadie Brenneman • September 19, 2024 • Sports Griffin Eash • September 19, 2024 • Sports

Many students take the leap to become the first in their families to attend college every year and that’s increasingly the case at Goshen College. The Center for First Generation Student Success estimates that 56 percent of all undergraduates are first-generation students. While Goshen College doesn’t have numbers quite that high, the first generation student count has been on the rise. In the 2020-2021 school year, 38 percent of Goshen’s undergraduates were first-generation students compared to 23 percent in 2010-2011. With help from parents, it can still be quite a struggle for legacy students to get through college, but it’s...

By Gabe Kermode • April 16, 2021 • Features

A record 36% of students at Goshen College are first-generation students. This number, up from 34% one year ago, will continue to influence GC’s efforts towards enhancing the experience of first-generation students and working through specific challenges they face.  One example of this came last semester, when GC held a dinner for parents of first-generation students to celebrate the achievements of their students and to inform parents on what it takes to be successful in college.  Javier Prieto, a senior from Venezuela, said the most difficult part of being a first-generation student was the disconnect between what he was experiencing...

By Nick Yutzy • February 21, 2020 • Features

Rocio Diaz and Gilberto Perez Jr. want first-generation college students to succeed. And the Goshen College Student Life administrators are putting in the effort to help students do just that.  On Saturday, Oct. 12, Goshen College will be hosting a dinner for parents of first-generation students at the Westlawn Dining Hall. Diaz, director of community engagement and adult outreach, has coordinated the dinner to invite parents of first-generation students to celebrate the accomplishments of their students and to learn what it takes for them to be successful while at college.  According to Diaz, the dinner will function primarily as a...

By Cecilia Garcia • October 9, 2019 • News

Richard Aguirre, director of corporate and foundation relations, has helped reinforce GC’s commitment to first-generation Latino students. Last year, he formulated and proposed a college prep program for Goshen High School. The project’s beginnings were part of a larger vision for Indiana. “I was part of a state commission organized by IUPUI (Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis). The goal of this effort was to develop an agenda to propel Indiana forward for the next couple of decades,” Aguirre said. One statistic this interdisciplinary committee was combatting was population decline in the Midwest. Bordering states have decreased in numbers in...

By Marris Opsahl • March 16, 2017 • Features

Alia Byrd, a sophomore elementary education major, with a double minor in TESOL and Spanish, was awarded the “Realizing the Dream” award on Nov. 5 along with other first-generation college students. She was nominated by Goshen College faculty for her outstanding academic and extracurricular achievement in her first year at college – but when asked, she says she could not have been more surprised. “When I was told that I had received the Realizing the Dream award, I was a little confused, honestly,” Byrd said. “In my eyes, I see myself as just another college student trying to get by....

By Hayley Mann • November 17, 2016 • Features

It’s four o’clock in the morning. Some college students are finally heading to bed, but Valentin Calvillo’s parents are getting up for work. For the last 20 years, Calvillo’s parents have worked in factories. Calvillo, a sophomore, is a first-generation student. “[My parents] were really proud of me because I decided to go to college,” Calvillo said. But his goal isn’t simply a bachelor’s degree; Calvillo is aiming for medical school. Majoring in biochemistry, Calvillo wants to become a general surgeon, or do something related with surgery. “I feel like access to medical care should be a fundamental human right,”...

By Jordan Waidelich • November 19, 2015 • Features