First-Gen Employees Share Their Experiences
At East Central College, we feel especially connected to our first-generation students because so many of our employees are first-generation students themselves. We have dedicated faculty, staff, and administrators who were once in your shoes, which means we know how important it is that you feel supported and welcome during your time here. We asked our first-gen employees to share their experiences to remind you that you’re not alone. Take a look below.
AMANDA BAUMRUK | Student Services Specialist
“My experience as a first-generation college student was difficult at times, but overall was wonderful. Although my parents did not know the full extent of the ins and outs of college, they were incredibly supportive, and I believe this played a huge part in why I was a successful college student. It is important to support first-generation students because these students are not always surrounded by supportive and/or college-knowledgeable individuals. These students do not always know the best step to take or even what options they have. They have questions that they may not know where to find answers and it is our job as higher education professionals to help them get those answers and send them in the right direction to achieve their goals.”
LORRIE BAIRD | Financial Aid Advisor, Veterans Services
“My mom and dad grew up in a poor, rural town. My dad graduated with a class of less than 12 students and went right into the Navy and my mom didn’t finish high school, so education was always important to them. My mom died when I was 38. I had quit college many years before to raise my family and it was after my mom died that I decided to go back to school and at least get my associate’s degree. I did it one course at a time, while raising my 4 sons and working full-time. I then went on to get my bachelor’s after I started working at ECC and then my master’s. The last semester of my master’s was the toughest as it was during COVID. I was working from home, taking care of my one-year-old grandson while his single dad worked, and trying to finish up my master’s, but I did it! It was a struggle, but it was worth it! Even though I had to wear a mask during graduation and my family did not attend because of COVID restrictions, they watched it live via the Internet. I wore a pair of my mom’s earrings so that she was there in spirit. It had to be my proudest moment. Walking across the stage felt so good. There were many times that I was tired and frustrated, but I never gave up.”
STACY BELLVILLE | Executive Administrative Assistant to the VP of Academic Affairs
“As a first-gen, Pell-eligible student, I know firsthand the importance of supporting this student population. I liken it to sending a person on a mountain climb alone with no gear or instructions. The uphill battle can be overwhelming, and many may simply give up. It’s our job to equip these students with the tools, instruction, encouragement, and support so they can realize their potential and be successful. I still remember the feeling of pride and accomplishment I felt when I earned my degree, which is part of the reason I am so passionate about higher ed and the success of our students.”
DEANNA CASSAT | Vice President of Finance and Administration
“Neither of my parents attended a traditional institution of higher education. My dad is a painter by trade and had training in that regard. My mom entered the workforce after high school. My parents are extremely hardworking individuals and instilled hard work in me. Education has always been important to them, and they encouraged me to explore all educational options to ensure I made the best decision for myself.”
MICHELLE CHICK | Instructor, Practical Nursing / Program Director
“I am a first-generation college student, and my family did not encourage me to go to college, due to fear of the unknown and not understanding the benefits of college versus the risks. My parents were fearful of the cost of college education and the potential debt that I might incur.”
TIMOTHY DERIFIELD | Instructor, Psychology/Sociology
“I didn’t have anyone to guide me through the process of applying to colleges, taking the ACT/SAT, registering for classes, buying books, etc. It was very scary and overwhelming. In addition, my high school experience didn’t prepare me for the realities of college like balancing work, social life, and my classes. I also didn’t learn life skills like time and priority management, taking notes from lectures, and having intrinsic motivation to complete work. In the end, I was fortunate enough to be able to teach myself the skills necessary to succeed in college, but it took failing out of my first college to do that. After I failed out, I went to work full-time for about four years before I went back to school, got my BA, then waited a few more years to get my MSW.”
JOEL DOEPKER | Vice President of External Relations
“My parents didn’t graduate high school and as a result couldn’t provide the type of guidance and preparation due to their lack of experience and knowledge. Like many students, I found my college attending friends as an inspiration and an asset to pursue a degree after high school. For those without guidance at home, having someone assist you is vitally important to help in your successes and limit as many barriers as possible as students navigate a college or university experience.”
DR. ELIZABETH FLOTTE | Assistant Professor, Biology
“Both my mom and dad came from very poor families growing up in North Saint Louis in the 1970’s and 80’s. My father barely attended high school and my mother was pregnant with me when she graduated in 1989. I watched them struggle to make ends meet. I saw my mother’s disappointment that she was unable to pursue her own educational goals. She had 3 young children by the time she was 22, and for financial reasons, she felt forced to give up career aspirations to care for us. This motivated me to prioritize my education so that I could build a more stable life for myself. I chose to go to college despite warnings from my parents that this was a risky decision, since they had no experience or financial support to offer me. The financial burden of college was difficult for me to handle, and I did have to work full time throughout college, which surely affected my experience. However, the greater burden that I experienced was the mismatch between my own social/cultural background and that of my peers. I felt extremely insecure surrounded by others who seemed to speak a completely different language. I’d sit in my giant university classes and hear other students discuss their summer vacations and their spring break plans, and the cars their parents gifted them, and their monthly allowance. I had this deep, nagging, lonely feeling that held me back. I wish I would have been brave enough to reach out or join a group that would provide me with social support. When financial struggles arose, I was on the brink of giving up EVERY SINGLE TIME. Yet, by some miracle I finished undergrad and eventually obtained multiple graduate degrees. I can look back now and clearly see many ways that my experience could have been improved, and I am passionate about giving current and future first-gen students the support that I never received and was afraid to seek out. ”
DEE GIBBS | Coordinator, Technical Support
“My parents made it clear I was going to college from a young age, and saved money my whole life for me to go. I went to State and got the first degree in our family. I am proud of representing my family in higher education. It was hard sometimes with the expectations, but I was determined to not let them down.”
SARAH HAINES | Occupational Navigator
“I was laid off in 2012, and there was no job to find. I was also a single mom, and I knew that I had to find a solution soon. This is when I knew I had to gain valuable skills that would make me marketable, which is where I signed up to attend classes at ECC. I was so nervous about attending college since I had no one at home who went to college. It was great to have mentors at ECC willing to help guide me through the process. After completing my educational goals at ECC, I knew then that I wanted to work full-time for ECC. That way, I could also guide people with their educational goals.
After completing my educational goals at ECC, I applied to Central Methodist University here on the ECC campus, and I graduated in 2018 with a degree in psychology. Currently, I am attending Bradley University and studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling, expecting to graduate in 2025. I like to say, “it is not about the destination, but more about the journey,” especially with career development. If it wasn’t for the mentors who assisted me, who knows where I would be currently, which shows me career development is also about networking.”
RUSS HENDERSON | Professor, History
“Because I was a first-generation college student, my first year of college was defined by constant sensation of being lost without a map. I could not ask my parents for aid, though I lived at home, because they lacked the knowledge about college life to be helpful – though they desperately wanted to. Luckily, I could lean on some of my football teammates to guide me through that difficult first year. However, many of my former high school classmates who also were first-generation college students dropped out after the first semester or first year because they did not have anyone they could turn to for help. They were smart, driven folks who could have flourished in college with access to the right resources, which, unfortunately, did not exist in the 1980s & 1990s. Today, colleges are much more aware of the special needs first-generation college students require to be successful. With attentive guidance provided by their college, this student cohort can more readily navigate the difficulties and frustrations that every freshman encounters. The confidence gained in enduring those first-year trials can then become the foundation for achievement. But colleges have to identify and provide the academic, professional, and personal resources that first-generation students need to prevent them from getting so lost – and feeling so alone – their freshman year that they reckon quitting school is salvation.”
JESSICA HORN | Administrative Assistant, Nursing
“After graduating high school in 1998, I thought about college and even visited ECC once. I did not feel I could be successful in college and did not feel that it was needed. I went on to spend 14 years as mainly a stay-at-home mother. In 2013 I started working outside the home and up until this I didn’t really see myself as “college material.” I was encouraged by some co-workers that I had what it takes to get a degree. I started ECC in Spring of 2017 and graduated with my AA in Fall of 2018. I have since gained my BA in Educational Studies and I am currently working on my master’s degree.
It is important to support first generation students, it is so easy for us to fall into the idea that college is not for us or that we don’t need to go to college to make a living. For me, having the support from my co-workers, my parents, and my children was the biggest motivator in my college journey.”
BRIDGETTE KELCH | Executive Director, East Central College Foundation
“I am a first-generation college student. This means that neither of my parents pursued higher education. They had solid careers as a city Parks foreman and a bookkeeper. I always knew I would go to college, but my family and I had no concept of how it would work out. I was lucky enough to have a good high school counselor that encouraged me to pursue college and even helped me job shadow my senior year. I recall sitting with my mom the first time we filled out the FAFSA and her being worried that she would do it wrong and that in turn would hold me back, we had such anxiety! I remember talking to my parents about college and that my two best friends were going to Missouri State or SMSU at that time. My Mom was unsure of the cost and how we would pay for the expense. My counselor helped me fill out the ECC scholarship application and I was lucky enough to receive a half music and half theatre scholarship from ECC. I was initially bummed out that I “had to go” to ECC. My friends were headed off to a four year and I felt so left out. This feeling changed within 6 weeks of attending classes at ECC. I found my people and my groove. I loved every second at ECC and the people here helped propel me to get a solid base and to transfer all my credits from my AA degree to SEMO where I completed my bachelor’s degree. So far, I have had successful 22+ year career in the nonprofit sector with three of those years being back here at ECC. I am currently the Foundation executive director and I get to fundraise for the students and college. I also run the scholarship program here at the College. I am here to chat anytime! Feel free to email me, stop by my office, or call anytime. I want to help you succeed!”
SARAH LEASSNER | Vice President of Student Development
“As a first-gen student myself I can tell you that I would not have been successful without COUNTLESS support staff at my school. My job as a front desk worker changed my life as it connected me to so many people who helped me navigate through my college career. They encouraged me, answered my questions, comforted me when I was stressed and felt like I was totally lost. My path was better because I had those support people. They are the reason I chose to work with college students for the rest of my professional life. If I can help or support or counsel any first-gen student through their time at ECC it would be one of the most rewarding things I would do during my time here. My door is always open, and I hope to give back just a tiny bit of what was given to me.”
LESLEY PETERS | Academic Advisor–Access Services
“There were a few times in college that I was confused about things or having to make decisions and wanting to talk to my parents about them but knowing they would have no idea how to help. They were supportive, but they just didn’t have the experience to share.”
MEGEN STRUBBERG | Director, Early College & Admissions
“Being a first gen college student was scary! My high school counselors just didn’t have them time to help me work through choosing a best fit college, and all of this was new for my family. So, I went to the four-year school that several of my classmates decided to attend… for three days. I was miserable and just not ready to be away from home. I came back to ECC, and luckily instructors let me into classes a few days after the semester had begun. While the transition was rough, my experience at ECC helped me build confidence and grow in ways that I never imagined. I now have a master’s degree and a job I love – as Director of Early College & Admissions at ECC!”
TRACIE WELSH | Coordinator, Academic Services
“In high school I never had any intention of attending college; I’m not sure why, I just felt like I was done with school. When I was about 33 years old, I was tired of just having jobs and decided it was time to get a degree and find a direction in my life. I attended my first semester at STLCC-Meramec Valley, after that until I graduated in May 2001, I attended East Central College and am proud to be an alumnus of the college I have been working at for almost 18 years. In January 2004 I graduated from UMSL with a BS in Criminology and Criminal Justice. I feel being an adult student and attending college by choice as a first-generation student is different than just finishing high school and being a first-generation student. Parental influence can steer kids in directions they may not necessarily want to go in but do by virtue of parent pressure. This generation of students is eager to continue learning as long as the dream to attend isn’t taken from them. They need all the help and resources from us employees on the campus they can get as making sure they’re involved and connected is key to their success.”
ALICE WHALEN | Director, Adult Education & Literacy
“I was the 5th of 6 children, and the first in my family to attend college. When the funds to pay for college ran out after the first two years, I married and began having children. When I returned to college four years later, I was divorced with three children under the age of three. Despite the setback, East Central College offered a program for college that I could afford. I was able to complete a certificate in business marketing and management. You
The certificate I earned at East Central College allowed me to get a job with tuition assistance. I worked full-time, raised children with the help of my new husband, and attended evening classes. It took another five years, but I was able to complete my bachelor’s degree.”