From surviving to thriving: First-Gen students find community at Binghamton

Binghamton University celebrated its first-generation college students with two events designed to foster connection, mentorship and visibility for a community that often navigates higher education without a road map. Hosted by the B-First Committee, the programming highlighted the resilience and achievements of first-generation students while offering support through storytelling and relationship-building.

On Nov. 5, the University welcomed attendees to a Pioneers, Underdogs and Fighters event. A panel of first-generation professionals, alumni and current students shared personal journeys and insights into the challenges and triumphs of being the first in their families to attend college. The conversation emphasized the importance of community, mentorship and institutional support in helping students thrive.

“First-generation identity is oftentimes unknown and endured silently,” said Marissa Zelman, assistant director of Student Support Services (SSS) and chair of the B-First Committee. “It’s not something that you can just pinpoint by seeing somebody. So it’s nice to bring awareness to this identity. Having panels like this has two important goals: to provide that community to first-generation college students and to educate the campus community on how they can help first-generation students better succeed at Binghamton University.”

The celebration continued on Nov. 6, with the First-Generation Networking Dinner, which drew nearly 200 students to connect with first-gen faculty, staff and alumni. The dinner served as a space for conversations, mentorship opportunities and shared experiences that validated the first-gen identity and offered guidance for navigating college life.

“We want to help our first-gen students build social capital by building mentoring relationships,” Zelman said. “First-gen students don’t understand what the hidden curriculum is, and networking and mentoring, including events like this, can really push the needle from surviving to thriving.”

William Xu, a first-generation philosophy, politics and law major who attended the dinner, shared how powerful it was to connect with someone who understood his journey. He connected with Evie Tordesillas ‘23 at the networking dinner.

“We connected not only on our career aspirations, but also on not knowing what we were doing after graduation. We both had to use an immense amount of resources.”

Xu and Tordesillas shared a similar path and professional ambitions, so Xu not only made a local connection within the legal industry, but was also able to glean career insights from the young alumna.

“She’s working as a paralegal in Broome County while she studies for the LSAT,” Xu said. “That’s something that I didn’t know was a possibility, so learning that could really change the way I move forward [after graduation] as I pursue law school.”

Xu also reflected on the critical role that support systems like TRIO, SSS and B-First played in his success.

“Without the [TRIO] advisors, I truly wouldn’t even be at Binghamton University,” he said.

Now a TRIO mentor himself, Xu sees the value of paying it forward.

“It’s not only helped me, but I’ve also helped a student who was feeling down. I referred him to the counseling center. I told him about TRIO advising. It’s a give and take.”