Orientation to Learning I (Fall) and II (Spring)--First To Go Scholars Program
Orientation to Learning I and II seek to emphasize and build upon the unique forms of social capital that first-generation college students bring to the university. As we bring community cultural wealth to the forefront with a sharp focus on identity consciousness development via a student-created anti-racist curriculum, we aim to establish a tight-knit community that will continue throughout students’ college tenure. As active members of the First To Go Community, students will have the opportunity to engage LMU in a variety of ways while continuing to further their personal growth as scholars, change agents, and critical thought leaders. The class consists of material that will help students understand their identity as first-generation college students and the ways in which they can capitalize on their rich experiences as such. The class will give way to discussions that will assist students in navigating academic course material, college-going culture, and their social commitment to both scholarship, community-led action, and transformative justice.
Orientation to Learning I (Fall)--First-Gen Transfer Scholars Program
This course assists incoming transfer students in their academic and co-curricular transition into Loyola Marymount University. The course consists of material that will help students understand how to actively engage and utilize the various academic resources available to them on campus while capitalizing on the assets transfer students bring to the university. The course will help students better navigate the university and facilitate opportunities for students to establish their own identity and place as active participants in the community. Additionally, the course will better prepare students for post-graduate success via self-reflexivity practices that will assist students who wish to take their skills beyond the bluff. The class will give way to discussions that will assist students in navigating academic course material, college-going culture, and their social commitment to both scholarship, community-led action, and transformative justice.
Strategies of Career Development (Spring)--Open to First To Go Community (All Students)
This course is designed to center conversations about career education and growth through a first-generation college student lens. Intentionally narrowing in on identity-intersections and the specific experiences of first-gen+ students in the workforce, students in this course will be able to: 1) Articulate their skills, interests, personality, strengths and values as they relate to career, 2) Effectively engage in the job and internship search process, including creating resumes and cover letters, branding via a LinkedIn profile and strengthening interviewing skills, 3) Start developing a network of personal and professional contacts, 4) Learn about various career paths, industries and fields through alumni connections, and 5) Participate in identity-specific conversations meant to equip students for the world of career.
Class timing is TBD.
After LMU (Fall)--Open to First To Go Community (All Students)
After LMU is a course designed for 3rd and 4th year, first-gen students interested in exploring their future formation as soon-to-be LMU Jesuit-educated graduates. The goals of this course are sectored into three distinct modules: Theoretical Teachings, Practical Practices, and Real and Relatable. Each module is structured to engage students in a series of workshops and discourses that will aid them in visualizing the realities, managing the expectations, and implementing the practices that are involved with post-graduate life.
Class timing is TBD.
First-Gen LMU (Spring)--Open to First To Go Community (All Students)
First-Gen LMU is a course designed for any first-generation, LMU student interested in exploring their personal first-generation student journey in a community-led space. The course will offer students the ability to conduct a deep examination of the multiplicity of their respective identities through a social justice and student empowerment framework. Students in this course will engage in discussions pertinent to first-generation college student research, culture, and educational movements in hopes of creating an active, first-generation student collective dedicated to the success of first-generation college student communities on a national and global scale. At the end of this course, students will be able to compose and publish a written narrative that will be featured on First To Go’s internationally-read journal, First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience. Enrolled students will additionally receive a 1-unit credit for course completion at the end of the semester.
To participate, students must be LMU first-generation students. The course is open to all first-gen students regardless of class standing/class year.
Class timing is TBD.