Vote for your favorite scholarship contest submission
TRIO Student Support Services at Inver Hills Community College recently called for application submissions for a $1,000 First-Generation Scholarship. The no-essay scholarship was designed for students to use their creativity to answer the following question:
What does being a First-Generation College Student mean to you?
Response should directly answer the question. Judges should be able to understand how the submission connects to the prompt.
- Submissions should be original work
- Students may include a statement, if desired, introducing your submission and its connection to the question. 200 word max or 2 minute video or audio
- This scholarship is designed for students to use the creative arts to answer the question through poetry, short story, music, mixed media, visual art, or performance. This list is not exhaustive, and we encourage students to explore different ways to express themselves
Please vote for your favorite submission:
First-Generation Scholarship Contest: VOTING
Note: Voting ends at midnight, Wednesday, November 30, 2022.
First-Generation Celebration
Inver Hills Community College is hosting a celebration to recognize Inver Hills students, staff, and faculty who are first-generation college students. The event takes place Tuesday, November 15, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the College Center in Rooms 117 and 118. All members of the campus community are welcome to attend.
POEM: First Gen — Submission 1
First Gen
I can’t help but feel guilty for be able to get this far
I would like to say I’m proud to be the first to go to college
But deep down it’s unclear of how I feel
All my dad dreams were to get a proper education
And to see that he couldn’t crushes me a little more
My mom biggest regret was not being able to finish hers
And to see that burns just a furthermore
I feel the need to know the ins and the outs of college for my younger siblings now
I wouldn’t want them to feel lost, confused, or that they can’t because I couldn’t
There is this pressure that is there because I’m the first to go to college
But I have to continue through because it’s my job to
And I hope I can look back and be honor that I’m the first to go
That I created a pathway for my family
But as of right now it’s unclear of how I feel because this pathway can be overwhelming
But I’m determined to finish and get a degree because this is more then just for me
Photography Art — Submission 2
Drawing Comic — Submission 3
My media submission is an homage to the final Calvin and Hobbes comic released by author Bill Waterson. This final strip hit newspapers on December 31st, 1995, and ended a legacy that is rooted in my childhood. I remember reading solely Calvin and Hobbes books for weeks on end many times throughout my childhood, it was my comfort book. I loved Calvin’s seemingly never-ending childhood joy and lived vicariously through him. Below is a link to a copy of the final comic strip I decided to parody.
Final Calvin and Hobbes – Last Comic – by Bill Watterson for December 31, 1995
POEM: I am first — Submission 4
I am first
I was the first born
The first to take my family name
The first to know honor in my family’s roots
But also, the first to learn the burden of being first
My parents came here with a dream
An immigrant’s dream of America
“The American Dream”
I never knew the being first would mean I would be the one caring out that dream
Working 9-5 with no 5 insights
Working jobs that no one would take
Raising your siblings after school
Being first, but never a kid
Being a hybrid of a sibling/parent
Trying to create a happy home, so no one would know
Only filled with hatred and resentment instead
Taking pride in your culture
Taking pride in being American
Trying to prove to everyone that you fit in
But the questions still came
“Como que no sabes?”
“Why does your family do that, you are in America now.”
How impressing to know two languages
Embarrassed to know you will never dominate both
Always translating for your parents
Remembering the lashes when “I don’t know” was spoken
“Para que te mando a la escuela”
Being first meant your voice was used for others
I can’t stop being first, but I can break
boundaries
generational curses
losing oneself
Being first means paving the way for others, so they no longer have to be first.
Art — Submission 5
About the art:
Being first generation has always meant showing my younger sister succeeding in college is possible. She has always supported me, encouraged me, and never given up. Like most first generation college students it can be overwhelming with so many people counting on you. Meelah has pushed me to continue even when I didn’t want to, which is what I wanted to convey through the text messages which are from her. She is my number one support and motivation. Nothing has ever motivated me more than my love for her and my hope to be successful so that I can always take care of her. This is dedicated to my younger sister Meelah (red hair).
Please vote for your favorite submission:
First-Generation Scholarship Contest: VOTING
Learn more about TRIO Student Support Services at Inver Hills by contacting:
TRIO Student Support Services
College Center Room 255
Inver Hills Community College
trio@inverhills.edu
651-450-3831
