First generation college students need better programming, according to new op-ed

Assistant Professor Nina Wieda with Northwestern’s Chicago Field Studies recently published an op-ed discussing the issues first-generation students face in universities.

Along with the standard pressures of attending college, many first-generation students face additional stress factors including cultural differences, career hiccups and networking issues. In the article, Wieda argues in favor of more university programming for first-generation students (such as career mentorship) to lessen the negative effects of these factors.

Wieda writes, “…we need to think holistically about how the life experiences and circumstances of first-generation and lower-income students differ from those of students from elite backgrounds. This gap has been described as the ‘hidden curriculum’ of professional norms and contexts that schools never explicitly teach, but some young people internalize through growing up in elite environments.”

Wieda is currently an Assistant Professor of Instruction in Weinberg’s Chicago Field Studies program. As a former Assistant Professor at Middlebury College, Wieda also has experience in journalism, advertising, and consumer research. She is one of 19 young professionals from the greater Chicago area selected to participate in the Emerging Leaders program with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2020 cohort.

Learn more in Diverse’s new article, “Admitting First-Generation and Low-Income Students is Not Enough.”