First-Gen Fest features a series of programming for students, faculty, staff and student families.
(March 29, 2018) -- To recognize the nearly half of undergraduates at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) who are the first in their families to earn a four-year college degree, UTSA is expanding its First-Gen Fest this year. The second annual festival has grown from one day to six, with a series of events April 2-7 at the Main and Downtown Campuses.
First-Gen Fest launched in 2017 to raise awareness about the experiences of students who are the first generation in their families completing a four-year degree. Approximately 45 percent of UTSA undergraduates are first-generation college students.
“Our inaugural First-Gen Fest in 2017 was an extraordinary success and helped give rise to new campus collaborations and initiatives for the benefit of our first-gen students,” said Rhonda M. Gonzales, associate vice provost for strategic initiatives and newly named interim vice president for student success. “We are so grateful to all the university partners who have joined this effort to allow us to make First-Gen Fest even bigger and better this year.”
New this year, First-Gen Fest features a series of programming for students, faculty, staff and student families. There also will be unique giveaways at each event.
The schedule of events include:
First-Gen Film Fest
Monday, 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Student Union Retama Auditorium (SU 2.02.02), Main Campus
This screening features two documentary films that focus on first-generation college students: "First Generation,” and "Why Not Us?"
First-Gen Fair
Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sombrilla, Main Campus
Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Bill Miller Plaza, Downtown Campus
More than two dozen UTSA offices will be on hand to offer information tailored to the university's 11,000+ first-generation college students. There will be giveaways, games, food and music, and attendees can get a #FirstGenUTSA t-shirt.
First-Gen Poetry Slam
Thursday, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., Student Union Fountain Courtyard, Main Campus
Albuquerque Poet Laureate Jessica Helen Lopez will lead a night of slam poetry just for first-gen students, faculty and staff.
First-Gen Institute
Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Student Union Denman Room (SU 2.01.28), Main Campus
The First-Gen Institute is a free, one-day institute for UTSA faculty and staff, featuring presentations by David Laude from UT Austin and La’Tonya Rease Miles from UCLA. Register on RowdyLink by Tuesday, April 3.
First-Gen Familia Day/Dia de la Familia
Saturday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Main Building (MB 0.104/0.106), Main Campus
First-gen students are invited to bring their families to campus for an afternoon geared specially for parents and relatives of first-gen students.
Learn more about UTSA First-Gen Fest.
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This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
