Interview with Chahida at RTVUtrecht

This morning project leader Chahida was on the RTVUtrecht radio to talk about UP-Community with Bob van Beeten. You can listen to the whole broadcast on the website of RTVUtrecht.

During the conversation they discussed the definition of first-generation students and how they often have to figure out the unwritten culture in higher and university education themselves. To give them a little more of a way out of this, Utrecht University is launching a special program today: University Pioneers Community.

A first-generation student is a student who is the first from the family or household to study in higher education. In this regard, we are more lenient when it comes to brothers, sisters, cousins or nieces, but these students certainly should not have parents who have studied in higher education.

Chahida, too, was once a first-generation student. Unfortunately, she found it quite annoying. This was not so much about the studies, but mostly about everything that came with it. She really felt that her fellow students were a few steps ahead of her. They knew their way around very well. They knew where to join, and also where not to join. Where the interesting internships were. What they should have had on their resumes as volunteer work. I didn’t know all that. To me, it was one big mystery. It was not about the atmosphere that prevailed among the students, but that in the time when I was a student, which is quite a while back, that there was less attention to it from the university. You were just a student and you just joined in. That should be able to change, which is why this project was started.

In addition to this community, there is also the First Generation Fund at Utrecht University. However, this fund only provides financial support. So if first-generation students need a laptop or something similar that they cannot afford themselves, they can apply to the First Generation Fund. However, we felt the need to set up an additional safety net as well. The idea behind the community is that we are mindful of the diversity that exists among first-generation students. No two first-generation students are the same. In doing so, we assume that every student, including first-generation students, has different needs. We offer a broad program. Think mentoring, panel discussions or social activities. Central to everything is the idea that students themselves can decide what they need and want to take advantage of.

It has been a while since Chahida was a student, but even now she still notices the need for such a community among students. The program only officially launches today, but she has already received many messages from students who said they have been waiting for such a program for a long time. The UP Community is certainly much desired and Chahida is looking forward immensely to launching it this afternoon. UP gives students a way inside the university in a variety of areas and provides them with a network and the development opportunities that non-first-generation students have.

For the new students who will start in September, there will be plenty of communication about the program, but at other event we will be visible within the university. Students will become members of the community, just as you can become members of a student union or sorority.

Students interested in UP can join for free by registering through the website.