(Feb. 27, 2019) -- What has become a staple within the UTSA community, the third annual First-Gen Fest brings excitement, anticipation, and a profound sense of belonging for UTSA’s growing first-generation student population. The festival takes places Monday, March 4 to Friday, March 8 at the Main and Downtown Campuses and includes a series of events for students, faculty and staff that supports, empowers and celebrates first-generation students.
With nearly half (45 percent) of UTSA undergraduates the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree, the First-Gen Fest has grown from a one day program in 2017 to a week long experience this year.
>> Learn how UTSA supports first-generation students.
UTSA school psychology graduate student Jonathan Casas, a first-gen student himself, serves as a peer mentor for the First to Go and Graduate (F2GG) program.
“The First-Gen Fest help students understand there is a community of support for them,” said Casas. “Often, students can feel that they are not noticed at the larger level. First-Gen Fest offers students an opportunity to be seen and let’s them know the university is here to help them be successful.”
First-generation staff member and alumna Crystal Martinez ’17 is eager to kick-off First-Gen Fest to celebrate with students, faculty and staff. She serves as the program coordinator for the First-Generation and Transfer Student Center.
“I am looking forward to seeing all the collaboration and getting students, faculty and staff excited,” said Martinez. “I also appreciate bringing speakers like Roy Juarez Jr. He has gone through many trials and tribulations but is succeeding. The hope is that some first-generation students will relate to his story and also succeed.”
New this year, is the First-Gen Creative Activity and Research Symposium, which offers a platform to undergraduate and graduate first-generation students to share the work they do alongside UTSA faculty.
First-Gen Fest schedule of events:
First-Gen Takeover
Monday, March 4
Student, faculty and staff are encouraged to wear their first-gen t-shirts.
First-Gen Fest Kick-Off
Monday, March 4, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Central Plaza and Sombrilla, Main Campus
Join the first-generation Roadrunner community and celebrate with music, food, fun and swag.
First-Gen Progressive Celebration
Tuesday, March 5, 12 p.m. to 3p.m, various locations, Downtown Campus
Learn about the UTSA Downtown Campus and all that it has to offer by participating in this progressive style celebration at the Campus Rec, Frio St. Commons, Library, One Stop and Tomas Rivera Center.
First-Gen Creative Activity and Research Symposium
Tuesday, March 5, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m, Durango Building Riverwalk Room (DBB 1.124), Downtown Campus
Wednesday, March 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Student Union Denman Room (SU 2.01.28), Main Campus
First-generation students brings many assets to a college community. See them exhibit their research or creative activity. Undergraduate and graduate students need to register to participate.
First-Gen Platica
Wednesday, March 6, 1 p.m to 2 p.m., H-E-B Student Union Travis Room (HSU 2.202), Main Campus
Join the Platica and share your own first-gen experiences, why college is important to you, and what it means to be a first-generation student.
First-Gen Mix and Mingle
Thursday, March 7, 5 p.m to 6 p.m., Student Union Denman Room (SU 2.01.28), Main Campus
Prior to Roy Juarez Jr.’s lecture series, join other first-gen student for conversation, connections and a nacho bar.
Homeless By Choice: Featuring Roy Juarez Jr.
Thursday, March 7, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Student Union Denman Room (SU 2.01.28), Main Campus
Motivational speaker Roy Juarez Jr. will share his story to motivate, inspire and empower students to chase their dream even during times of struggle.
First-Gen Institute
Friday, March 8, 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, staff and graduate students featuring keynotes by Roy Juarez Jr., Victoria Black, director of peer mentorship at Texas State University and youth activities. Registration is recommended.
Share your experiences at First Gen Fest on social media using the hashtags #FirstGenUTSA, #FirstGenOrgullo, and #FirstGenFest19.
Learn more about the UTSA First-Gen Fest.
Celebrate UTSA’s 50th Anniversary and share social media posts about the 50th using the hashtag #UTSA50.
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Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis 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.
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UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
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