PCOM Hosts First-Generation Student Celebration
November 11, 2022On Tuesday, November 8, PCOM's Office of Diversity and Community Relations hosted its “First Generation Celebration” for students, faculty and staff from across
the College's three campuses. In partnership with the Student Government Association's First Generation Student
Committee, the event highlighted the important contributions of first-generation PCOM
community members.
“First-generation students face a number of barriers in college and, unlike their
legacy peers, may not have access to a support system to guide them through the process.
Those barriers are magnified once first-generation students attend graduate and medical
school. With first-generation students having a 92 percent higher dropout rate than
their legacy peers on a national level, it is important to acknowledge and celebrate
our first-generation students who survive and thrive at PCOM,” shared Christy Y. Finley,
EdD, program coordinator, diversity and inclusion, who was the primary organizer of
the event.
“I wanted the first-generation community at PCOM to know who's doing the first-gen
work on their respective campuses, as well as create an end-of-term opportunity for
students, faculty and staff to take a break and celebrate their accomplishments,”
continued Dr. Finley.
The event kicked off with student leaders from each campus sharing the history of
the annual National First-Generation College Celebration. The event, held nationally
on November 8, was created in 2017 to honor the anniversary of the signing of the
Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965. The act was intended to make higher education
more accessible to Americans from minority and low-income backgrounds.
The student representatives from the Student Government Association's First Generation
Student Committee included PCOM's Alexis Verwoert (PCOM DO '25), PCOM Georgia's Emily
Graves (MS/Biomed '23) and Bebe Eke (DO '25) and PCOM South Georgia's Georgina Boateng
(DO '25). The goal of PCOM's First Generation Student Initiative is to act as a support
system and advocate for the educational equity of first-generation students through
mentorship, community outreach, education and advocacy.
The event also included an opportunity for students on each campus to network and
enjoy refreshments provided by the Office of Diversity and Community Relations.
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About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Founded in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands
of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists
who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms.
PCOM operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic
medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and school psychology, and graduate degrees in
applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic
medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, non profit leadership
and population health management, organizational development and leadership, physician
assistant studies, school psychology, and public health management and administration.
PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service
to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care
to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
For more information, contact:
Daniel McCunney
Associate Director, News and Media Relations
Email: danielmc1@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6304 | Cell:
267-449-1360