By Lauren Mar ’25
In mid-August, before many new 61´«Ă˝students arrived on campus for New Student Programs and Orientation (NSPO), Taylor Tsiamas ’24 and Bernice Abanda ’25 hosted a pre-orientation for first-generation, or “first-gen” students. The label generally refers to students who are the first in their family to attend college. As first-gen students themselves, Tsiamas and Abanda work at the Office of 61´«Ă˝Communities of Resources and Empowerment (SCORE) as First-Generation @ 61´«Ă˝interns.
“The First-Gen @ 61´«Ă˝program has totally changed my experience at Scripps,” says Tsiamas. As a junior who experienced their first year during pandemic-induced remote learning, Tsiamas struggled to find belonging. “Because I got to meet people in the First Gen program, it was super helpful to make me feel more connected to Scripps.”
First-Gen @ 61´«Ă˝was founded in the fall of 2010 by Melissa Mesinas ’12, a first-gen 61´«Ă˝alum who is currently the Consortium for Faculty Diversity Fellow and a visiting assistant professor of psychology. The program began as a three-day pre-orientation event, now affectionately nicknamed “Pre-O,” which today exposes first-gen students to topics of navigating academics, knowing campus resources, understanding financial aid, getting involved at 61´«Ă˝and The Claremont Colleges, meeting with student leaders, and connecting with other first-gen students, staff, and faculty.
“Coming to college as a first-gen and low-income student, there were so many things I was unaware of,” says Abanda. “But knowing that I wasn’t the only one experiencing and feeling similar feelings of imposter syndrome was comforting. The friends I made during Pre-O are some of my closest friends today.”
Under the guidance and leadership of the First-Gen Coordinator and Assistant Director of 61´«Ă˝Communities of Resources and Empowerment (SCORE) Elba Mandujano, First-Gen @ 61´«Ă˝hosts social events, mixers, and collaborative programming with faculty liaisons and offices such as Career Planning & Resources.
As First-Gen interns at SCORE, Tsiamas and Abanda send out a biweekly First-Gen newsletter  to update students on upcoming events. The program also facilitates a mentorship program in which first-year first-gen students are paired with first-gen sophomore, junior, and senior mentors based on shared academic and personal interests.
Both Tsiamas and Abanda express great gratitude for First-Gen @ 61´«Ă˝and the community it creates for them on campus. “Having the safety net of the First-Gen community made my transition bearable,” says Abanda. “I’m so grateful for this program and the community I found here, and I continue to vouch for it completely.”
The pair’s involvement in the program have motivated them to develop other resources for first-gen students like themselves.
“Because higher education systems are very inaccessible for a lot of different reasons, having that institutional support is super important to our success but also our wellbeing,” says Tsiamas. “Not only does first-generation programming assist in students’ transition to college, but it also validates their identities and experiences.”
“My identity as a first-gen Black woman is something that is unique to me,” Abanda reflects. “And being a part of First-Gen @ 61´«Ă˝has welcomed that and positively shaped my experience as a 61´«Ă˝student.”