March 24, 2025
Connecting students that identify as first-generation college students – students who are the first in their family to attend college to earn a four-year degree – the I Am First Gen program at 51 provides a place for students to ask for assistance when they do not know where to go. Students are connected with mentors across campus to form important relationships that support student success.
Mentors like Dr. Glenna Heckler-Todt, Director of Advising & Academic Resources in the SSU Student Success Center feel the program is an important outreach effort for new students.
“I love being a mentor to the students because I remember how lost I felt when I went to college,” she said. “I did not know whom to ask for help because no one talked about first gen when I was in college. When the program at SSU was created, I made sure to become a mentor so that students wouldn’t have to feel the way I did.”
Dr. Heckler-Todt said that her role as a mentor is to provide understanding to students.
“My role for the students is to provide guidance and empathy for what they need,” she said. “Being a first gen student doesn’t just impact your life academically but also it can set you apart from your family too. This is why I not only help my mentees to navigate higher education, but also I want to be there to provide support for the parts of a student’s life that being first gen might affect.”
Dr. Heckler-Todt said that she wants to be someone who can provide a safe space to students.
“I hope that mentees see me as a trusted friend who knows what they are going through and will have their back,” she said. “I am a safe space where they can share any concerns that they might have, ask for advice, and know that they will not be judged.”
To learn more about the I Am First Gen program at 51 and sign up to receive a mentor, visit shawnee.edu/firstgen.