First generation college students are on the rise but supporting their unique needs continues to evolve; especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) fields in higher education.
As we wrap up
National First-Generation College Celebration week, we want to celebrate student's achievements
and seek solutions to further support first-generation students in STEM.
Serdar Bilgili is a fifth-year doctoral student in Physics at West Virginia University
(WVU) immersed in Plasma Physics research.Looking back to his high school year,
he set his mind on becoming a physicist, so his journey began at Boğaziçi University
in Turkey. He continued his educational journey at WVU where he finished his
master’s degree in Mechanical Aerospace Engineering studying Fluid Dynamics
and Turbulence and also became a part of Combustion research team.
His research is greatly influenced by his desires to seek solutions for the
current energy crisis.He currently studies the characteristics of instabilities
and turbulence in plasmas that influence the evolution of mass and energy
distribution across the system.He explains the connection between his research
and his aspirations to address the climate crisis. Serdar says “these studies
are essential for building stable fusion reactors as a steady and clean energy
source in the near future,thus saving the Earth.”
As a first-generation college student, he remembers noticing a disparity
among other first-generation students and non first-generation college
students in terms of class participation, reaching out for help and
resources, getting involved in social activities, and face-to-face communication.
Remembering differences, whether that be socioeconomic or educational
preparedness, it was obvious.He notes “I think the first-gen college
students need to become aware of the "extra" support they may require
for building their future careers.”
Specifically, being a first-generation student in STEM, he stresses
the importance of being proactive, asking questions, seeking support
and getting involved in any way you can.“I would tell myself to keep
calm and not be afraid to reach out to the available resources. You
have the right to see and learn things as they are in the world,
so try being an active observer, such as visiting a power plant to ask
questions about how things work, taking an appointment at an engineering
company to inquire about their projects, or contact a research team
in a university to see if you could be there during their experiments
and maybe take part in it,”explains Serdar.
Furthering the support of first-generation college students in
STEM is the First2 Network.The First2 Network aims at improving
the college enrollment rate and success of undergraduate STEM
students, with emphasis on rural first-generation students through
their first 2 years of college.Initiatives supporting their mission
include: creating new ways to improve the STEM college experience,
connecting successful programs that improve the persistence of
first generation STEM students, conducting educational research,
fostering new partnerships and programs that support STEM success
and supporting a robust network of across West Virginia and other
rural states across the country.
If you are interested in supporting or getting involved in the
First2 Network, please visit
https://first2network.org.
Celebrating National First Generation College week by looking
at a success story like Serdar’s, and becoming involved in
successful solutions, like the
First2 Network, we can recognize their resilience, celebrate
their achievements, while also working to remove systemic
barriers in higher education.