As part of First Generation Celebration Week on November 7-11 at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Stephanie Cawthon and her doctoral student, Ana Vielma, will give a campus-wide presentation on an innovative, empowering concept in the education of first generation students, which comprise more than 20% of undergraduates at UT Austin. .
“Asset-Based Advocacy for First-Gen Students” on Wednesday, November 9, is a one-hour session about an asset-based approach to first generation outreach and research that emphasizes the contributions of first gen students — an approach that is in contrast to the usual deficit-focused framework that is prevalent in both research and programming aimed towards supporting first generation students and their academic progress.
Cawthon and Vielma will provide an overview of the asset-based framework, as well as concrete strategies on how to use it to engage in first-gen research and outreach on campus (and beyond).
A first generation student from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, Ana Vielma is a doctoral candidate in the Human Development, Culture, and Learning Sciences program at the College of Education, working under the supervision and advising of Dr. Cawthon. Ana is a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar and McNair Scholar interested in serving the first-gen community.
“Asset-Based Advocacy for First-Gen Students” is November 9 at 3-4 p.m on Zoom and is open to the entire Longhorn community.