Northwest Missouri State University will host a campus-wide virtual celebration of first-generation students Monday, Nov. 2, through Thursday, Nov. 5.

Students are invited to participate in an interactive campus scavenger hunt on social media, using the hashtags #NWFirstGen and #CelebrateFirstGen, throughout the week for a chance to win prizes.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, a virtual live event will feature Taylor Moore, a first-generation Northwest alumna, and Latonya Davis, who serves as an academic advisor and success coach at Northwest. Moore and Davis will share their experiences as well as tips for first-gen students.

The first 50 student to log in to the virtual event will receive a Northwest first-gen face covering. Other participation raffles include care baskets sponsored by Student Senate and a first-gen $250 scholarship sponsored by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance. Students are entered in the raffle via their participation in the scavenger hunt throughout the week and by attending the Wednesday evening event.

“We are once again excited to participate in the national first-generation college celebration and look forward to celebrating Northwest first-generation students,” Allison Hoffmann, Northwest’s director of academic success and retention, said. “Our recent census enrollment figures show the total percentage of first-generation students attending Northwest increased one percent – something we are excited about. We remain committed to ensuring first-generation students have the necessary support and resources needed to succeed, persist and graduate from Northwest Missouri State University.”

At Northwest, 36 percent of undergraduates are first-generation students, and 42 percent of the University’s first-time freshmen this fall identify as first-generation college students. Bearcats are first-generation college students, or first-gen for short, if their parents or legal guardians did not graduate from a four-year college or university.

Northwest’s Academic Success and Retention unit organizes and hosts first-generation event, in collaboration with Student Senate, TRIO Student Support Services, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the B.D. Owens Library.

Northwest’s celebration coincides with a nationwide initiative sponsored by the Council for Opportunity for Education and the Center for First-generation Student Success to recognize first-generation students. Their fourth annual First-Generation College Celebration marks the 55th anniversary of the signing of the 1965 Higher Education Act, which has helped millions of people become the first members of their families to earn college degrees. To learn more, visit https://firstgen.naspa.org/.