By Ashlyn Kennedy | Reporter
Studying abroad is often considered a great part of the college experience, but for first-generation students, it can feel inaccessible and unattainable. The First Abroad Fellows program works to combat this by providing resources and mentorship to first-generation students to help them get out of Waco and into the world.
The program was first established by Global Baylor in 2018. Per its website, it was launched to help first-generation students “become more globally engaged” during their time at Baylor.
Holly Joyner, associate director of global engagement and marketing for the Center for Global Engagement, said the program looks for students who have never been out of the country but “have a real interest in trying to get abroad.”
First Abroad Fellows takes 40 students each year who apply as freshmen and are a part of the program until they go abroad. The program includes a study abroad scholarship, as well as specific advisers who help with more than just the typical study abroad needs.
“Every semester, they’ll have an advising appointment with us, similar to what they’d get if they were with a regular study abroad adviser,” Joyner said. “But [we] are going to do more work on helping them with overcoming things like their parents having never been out of the country or concerns with finances.”
Joyner said it is important to have separate advisers for first-generation students because there can be pressure on them that may not be on a student whose parents attended college and understand the process.
“I will do things for them that I might not do with other students, like offer to have a phone call with parents, because it is a pretty big deal,” Joyner said.
Raphael Abayateye, assistant director for global engagement, stressed the importance of first-generation students having someone walk alongside them, as they have most likely never been out of the country before.
“We make sure that students understand the cultural nuances of being outside the U.S. and being humble in spaces,” Abayateye said. “The advising is to help them have a little perspective and set realistic expectations as they travel.”
Another resource the program offers is help with obtaining a passport. Passport information sessions are held for students to learn what steps to take to get one, and they are given a “mini scholarship” that goes toward paying for a passport.
Dripping Springs freshmen Scarlett Foxhoven and Carly Murphy were both accepted into First Abroad Fellows in the fall. Foxhoven said she appreciates how the program provides resources tailored to first-generation students.
“If I had no help or anything like this, I don’t think I ever would have thought that studying abroad was accessible,” Foxhoven said.
As the first in her family to go to college, Murphy said it means a lot to have someone who will walk beside her and other students in navigating studying abroad. She said the biggest impact she feels from being a part of the program is the relief of financial stress through the scholarship.
“A lot of first-generation students probably wouldn’t be able to study abroad if they didn’t have a scholarship, because it is so expensive,” Murphy said. “Having the program in general really helps give that opportunity to a new group of students.”
First Abroad Fellows recognizes first-generation students can have financial and time barriers when it comes to going abroad, and to help with this, it partnered with BU Missions to create a unique opportunity for those in the program.
First Abroad Fellows in the Dominican Republic is a one-week trip that combines studying and service, and its fee is covered in full by the scholarship. Joyner said it was created with students who are very tied to their family or who may be the primary breadwinner in their family in mind, giving them a chance to go abroad without having to worry about an extended time.
“The one-week trip works really well for those students because they can take off one week of work but maybe not two or three, and so this trip makes it even more possible and accessible for certain students to go abroad,” Joyner said. “It allows us to prepare them for cultural connection, global engagement and considering their cultural humility of where they are in the world.”
Joyner said First Abroad Fellows is focused on removing the barriers that can feel like “mountains” to first-generation students.
“The intent of the program is to make sure someone’s in their corner the whole way,” Joyner said. “As long as they really want to go, we’ll do everything we can to make sure none of the barriers are stopping them.”
