First Generation Advocates Welcome Reception

Last week, we had a reception welcoming students to the First Generation Advocates program, which works to assist our first-generation college students in adjusting to a law school education. I am especially proud of this program, which was begun in earnest a year ago. Students, faculty and staff quickly embraced the program.

It was a balmy early evening in the beautiful King Hall courtyard, and a great opportunity for new first-year students meet faculty and staff.

Housed in a building named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., UC Davis School of Law is known for its commitment to social justice and equality, as espoused by Dr. King. This school is home to the only majority-minority faculty among the nation’s top law schools, and to a student body that ranks in the top 10 for diversity.

We work hard to ensure that students from all backgrounds receive equal access to a legal education. Through its King Hall Outreach Program, the School of Law helps first-generation college students from around the state prepare for the law-school admissions process. And now, First Generation Advocates helps students once they are in law school.

As a first-generation college student myself, I know that students who are the first in their families to attend college face challenges in navigating professional school. That is why we pair our first-generation students with faculty and staff mentors, many of whom were first-generation students themselves.

We also offer a seminar series focused on the challenges first-generation students typically encounter. And there will be more informal networking events, like last week’s, later in the school year. Thanks to Senior Assistant Dean Hollis Kulwin for helping move the program forward. And thank you to the faculty and staff mentors.