Author(s): Keante Springle, Taylor Curtis-Davis, Parker Johnson, Mary Folk, Logan Stanford
Mentor(s): Darin Eckton
Institution UVU
At Utah Valley University, the First-Generation Student Success Center and its current staff and services as they currently offer them are new within the last year. UVU has the largest enrollment in Utah and reports that 37% of its student body is first-generation. However, given the increase in mental health challenges among college students in general, the high percentage of first-generation students at UVU, and the newness of this center, there is a significant need to explore the first-generation college student experience at UVU, including mental health stigmas, levels of awareness of services, and coping strategies these students learn to help them navigate mental health challenges and ultimately be successful. This phenomenological study seeks to understand the factors and influences that have contributed to the success of current first-generation college student seniors enrolled at Utah Valley University and is intended to add depth to the current literature foundation as well as inform institutional policies, procedures, and services offered to first-generation college students at UVU.