29 August 2024
The Catholic University of America celebrated the arrival of new students who are the first in their families to attend college. The warm welcome included a three-day pre-orientation which gave them insight into campus life and the resources that support their success.
Lift upa program of Center for Cultural Engagement (CCE), which supports first-generation students during their college years, welcomed 75 first-year students – the largest class yet.
CCE Director Javier Bustamante, himself a first-generation college student, led the launch of Take Flight in 2019. Pre-orientation participants who live on campus can move in early at no additional cost to ensure no one misses out on this summer bridge program.
“Take Flight pre-orientation is about creating a space for students with shared experiences to connect with each other and campus leaders, and helping them build their support network within the larger university community,” said Bustamante.
Faculty, staff and current students provided guidance and encouragement in workshops on living abroad, time management, finding things to do on campus and more. Law Professor Veryl Miles and Academic Coach Josef Simpson – both first college graduates in their families – offered advice from their own experiences. Daytime events also included trips to Washington, DC to network outside the classroom.
Julieta Romero, who studies both architecture and civil engineering, is a native of Colombia and visited the campus years before her family moved to the U.S. She remembers feeling at home there.
“Of the 15 colleges I applied to, Catholic University was the only one that sent me a personal email,” Romero said. “It’s like family.”
Although Romero’s family members went to university in her home country, she is the first to experience the U.S. higher education system.
“It’s totally different,” she said, finding it overwhelming. She was grateful to Take Flight for giving her the knowledge she needed to navigate the process and for offering a supportive community.
Luc Vanraes, a student studying architecture and civil engineering whose father is from Belgium, said he had similar experiences and Take Flight’s pre-orientation helped him fill in the gaps. Vanraes said it made him feel less disadvantaged than his fellow students. “It gives us a head start,” he said.
Diego Diaz, a history major, said Take Flight helped him feel more prepared for the larger orientation the next day and, most importantly, it reinforced his confidence that he made the right choice.
“I really like the history program and the opportunities they have here, including the Catholic perspective,” Diaz said. “This is the right place for me.”
