Leavey Library hosted a DIAL conference titled The Importance of First: Understanding the Needs and Experiences of First-Generation College Students on May 29. The keynote speakers were Dr. Rosa Moreno-Alcaraz and Dr. Imelda Quintanar, and Shahla Bahavar gave a presentation about USC's Neighborhood Academic Initiative Program.
The DIAL planning committee with keynote speakers Quintanar and Moreno-Alcaraz
Keynote speaker Dr. Imelda Quintanar
Keynote speaker Dr. Rosa Moreno-Alcaraz
The audience listens to a keynote address in the Leavey Library auditorium.
Chimene Tucker of UC Santa Barbara with Sue Tyson and Shahla Bahavar of the USC Libraries
The conference featured poster sessions about the specific challenges faced by first-generation scholars and strategies used by USC and its peer institutions to help them achieve academic success.
Shahla Bahavar gave a presentation about USC's Neighborhood Academic Initiative Program.
The keynote speakers were:
- Dr. Rosa Moreno-Alcaraz, who is a licensed psychologist in Counseling and Psychological Services at California State University, Long Beach. She presented on academic culture shock and promoting first-generation student success through psychological well-being; and
- Dr. Imelda Quintanar, who serves in the role of Retention Coordinator for First Year Programs for the Educational Opportunity Program at California State, University Dominguez Hills. She gave a presentation on profiles of students who are the first in many categories (e.g. first generation college-going) to experience higher education.
The other conference presenters were:
- Lideth Ortega, CSU Northridge: "University Counseling Services Presents: Collaborative Interventions to Help First Generation College Students EXCEL;”
- Llisa Willliams, USC Internship Advisor: "The First Generation College Student Career Workshop and the First Generation College Student Pilot Mentor Program;"
- Paula Pereira, Cerritos College: "Strategies for Academic Libraries Marketing on a Budget;" and
- Shahla Bahavar, USC Libraries: “First-Generation Scholars: USC's Neighborhood Academic Initiative Program"