BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) has been awarded a $1,000 First-Generation College Celebration Grant.
The university is the only institution in West Virginia—and one of just 65 nationwide—to receive the grant, which will help fund events and programs to support first-generation college students on campus.
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The grant will go toward WVU Tech’s First-Generation Celebration, which is taking place today in the Learning Resource Center.
The event will feature a guest speaker sharing their own first-generation college experience, light refreshments, and giveaways.
In addition to the celebration, the grant will also launch a new book club, open to faculty, staff, and students.
The club will read First Gen: A Memoir by Alejandra Campoverdi, who overcame barriers as a first-generation student to earn degrees and work as a White House aide to President Obama.
Book club members will receive a free copy of the book.
To further mark the occasion, WVU Tech is partnering with Pendleton Community Bank (PCB) to host a home-buying Q&A session on Wednesday, November 6, open to students, faculty, staff, and the community.
Scott Robertson, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of TRIO Student Support Services, highlighted the importance of recognizing and supporting first-generation students, noting that about 17% of Tech’s students identify as first-generation, and 26% come from lower-income backgrounds.
“We want those students to know that Tech is a destination for first-generation students,” Robertson said. “We want to celebrate first-generation students and reiterate the challenges they face while they’re in college. Every year it’s a new level of need.”
