first generation // The Observer

The Observer is a student-run, daily print & online newspaper serving Notre Dame, Saint Mary's & Holy Cross. Learn about us.

News

Student Government division launches podcast for first generation students

Emma Duffy | Friday, February 10, 2023

During the fall semester, the Notre Dame Student Government Department of Diversity and Inclusion, First Generation Low Income Initiative launched a new podcast. The new podcast, named ‘Golden Generation: First Under the Dome’, aims to assist first generation students throughout their college experience. The First Generation Low Income Initiative is a relatively new addition to

News

Saint Mary’s celebrates different cultures with ‘Arts Around the World’ talent show

Katelyn Waldschmidt | Thursday, November 17, 2022

On Thursday night, Saint Mary’s students and community members gathered in Haggar College Center for ‘Arts Around the World’, a talent show highlighting different cultures. The show was part of the week-long celebration for International Education Week. Spectators saw dancing, poetry, singing, folk tales and pieces of history from cultures across the globe. Most presenters

News

First Gen Week brings students ‘back to the basics’ of self-care

Liam Price | Thursday, November 10, 2022

First Gen Family at Saint Mary’s is supporting first-generation students, a term describing students who are the first in their family to pursue a four-year degree, with “First Gen Week: Back To The Basics.” The First Gen Family team scheduled the series for throughout this week, including a celebration dinner with a discussion from faculty,

News

University admits 3,412 to class of 2026 from record number of applicants

Claire Reid | Wednesday, March 23, 2022

On Thursday, the University announced it admitted 1,737 students to the class of 2026 in the regular decision process. In December, 1,675 students were admitted in the restrictive early action (REA) cycle. In total, 3,412 students were admitted out of 26,506 applicants. The University set a record-low acceptance rate of 12.9% this year, replacing last

Viewpoint

With a little help from my friends

Mary Ellen Woods | Monday, January 24, 2022

With the recent batch of Notre Dame early admits, I am reminded of conversations about the Class of 2025 — the most diverse of any admitted to Our Lady’s University, until, presumably, the Class of 2026. Friends, cherished alums themselves, decried the demographics of last year’s enrolled class, suggesting that they diminished the value of

News

Second annual first-generation, low-income week addresses inequality, student experiences

Alysa Guffey | Monday, March 29, 2021

For its second annual first-generation, low-income (FLI) student week, the Office of Student Enrichment hosted a variety of events to both highlight the experience of these students at Notre Dame and educate others. This year, the week featured mainly virtual events and touched on a variety of topics that are informational not only to first-generation

News

Community gathers to celebrate First Generation Day

Crystal Ramirez | Friday, November 6, 2020

The First Gen Club held a celebration Thursday in recognition of First Gen[eration] Day. The event featured guest speaker Kris Arizmendi-Choinacky, a Catholic Latinx woman who is the assistant director of the Office of Civic and Social Engagement (OCSE). A University of Indianapolis alumna, Choinacky was a first-generation college student. In her speech, she acknowledged

News

ND low-income students reflect on admission experience

Serena Zacharias | Friday, April 26, 2019

While the recent college admissions scandal — permeating national news and implicating many well-known celebrities — has sparked outrage among Americans, it has also highlighted unfair advantages wealthy students gained in the college admissions process, especially to highly ranked universities. In recent years, many colleges and universities have committed to enrolling more low-income students by increasing the number of Pell

News

SMC first-generation students comment on lack of resources, diversity on campus

Gina Twardosz | Friday, April 26, 2019

“I wasn’t surprised.” That was the typical response from many of the low-income, DACA and first-generation students at Saint Mary’s when asked their thoughts on the college admissions cheating scandal. While Saint Mary’s was not implicated, many Belles have strong opinions on the admissions process and the greater significance of the scandal. Saint Mary’s senior

News

Holy Cross students react to college cheating scandal

Jackie Navarro | Friday, April 26, 2019

Unlike the students involved in the recent nationwide college admissions scandal, the first-generation, low-income and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students of Holy Cross said they received little to no assistance when it was time for them to begin applying to colleges and universities. The official Holy Cross website states 32% of the College’s student body

Next Page ↓