On Monday, November 8, the nation celebrated First-Generation College Celebration Day!  We’d like to recognize the following CISTAR graduate students, undergraduate students, staff, faculty, and alumni who are First-Generation College:

Ryan Alcala
Graduate fellow, University of New Mexico
First college degree:  University of New Mexico, 2019

Brittany Bright
Staff, Purdue University
First college degree:  Ball State University, 2008

Jeffrey Brinker
Faculty, University of New Mexico
First college degree: Rutgers University, 1972

Anyssa Choy 
Staff, University of New Mexico 
First college degree:  University of New Mexico, 2019 

Jerry Crum
Graduate Fellow, University of Notre Dame
First college degree:  Arizona State University, 2017

Sopuruchukwu Ezenwa
Graduate fellow, Purdue University
First college degree:  Tufts University, 2018

Ioannis Giannikopoulos
Graduate Fellow, The University of Texas at Austin
First college degree:  National Technical University of Athens, Greece, 2018

Michael T. Harris
Faculty, Purdue University
First college degree:  Mississippi State University, 1981 

Tobin J. Marks
Faculty, Northwestern University

First college degree:  University of Maryland, 1966

Ray Mentzer 
Faculty, Purdue University
First college degree:  University of Illinois, Champaign, 1974  

Luke Nunzio Pretzie

Graduate fellow, Purdue University

First college degree:  The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), 2018

Kannan Ramaiyan
Faculty, University of New Mexico

First college degree:  Rajah Serfoji Government College, Bharathidasan University, Thanjavur, India, 2002

Jordy Ramos-Yataco

Graduate Fellow, Northwestern University

First college degree:  National University of Engineering, Peru, 2014

Edwin Rodriguez
Graduate fellow, Purdue University
First college degree:  National University of Colombia, 2018

Ginger E. Sigmon
Staff, University of Notre Dame
First college degree:  North Carolina State University, 2005

Jeff Siirola
Faculty, Purdue University
First college degree:  The University of University of Texas at Austin, Salt Lake City, 1967

William F. Schneider
Faculty, University of Notre Dame

First college degree:  University of Michigan-Dearborn, 1986

Alkiviadis Skouteris
Graduate fellow, The University of Texas at Austin

First college degree:  National Technical University of Athens, Greece, 2018

Agboola Suleiman
Graduate fellow, University of Notre Dame
First college degree: Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, 2011

If you’d like to be added to this list for next year, please just email driscoll@purdue.edu.