Showcase celebrates first-generation students
Friday, November 7, 2025
photos by Rob Hinkal, social media specialist, except as credited
Penn College hosted a First-Generation Celebration on Thursday – building community, sharing resources and showcasing student achievements.
A first-generation college student is defined as someone having parents or guardians who have not earned a four-year college degree. Roughly 40% of Penn College students identify as first-generation.
“I wanted to showcase student academic achievement here at the college and made that the focus this year for our one-day event,” said Kasey L. Beury, coordinator of student success solutions, who planned the event with the support of the college’s First-Gen Advisory Committee. The committee includes representatives from offices around campus. “We had 12 student participants from multiple majors in all three academic schools. One student brought several of her art projects, and another brought parts he machined for the Baja team.”
Students in Beury’s First Year Experience class also presented their final projects for the course.
About 40 students dropped by the Bush Campus Center to grab cocoa and check out the student projects and resource tables, Beury said.
Among the offices hosting tables were Student Engagement, Counseling Services, the Hudock Center, Disability and Access Resources, Tutoring Services, the Center for Career Design, and two honor societies.
The celebration also included giveaways to help students gear up for final exams.
In the evening, Truist Bank offered a “Bank on Your Success: Banking & Budgeting Basics” workshop, attended by about 50 students.
This is the third year for Penn College’s First-Generation Celebration. Nationally, First-Generation College Celebration is observed on Nov. 8 to commemorate the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
To learn more about activities for first-generation students at Penn College, visit www.pct.edu/first-gen.
Students in Beury’s First Year Experience course share their final project for the class. From left: Shayla M. Mayhan, of Northampton (automotive technology), Abigail L. Moyer, of Shippensburg (graphic design), and Michelle D. Kenyon, of Williamsport (human services & restorative justice).
Peer Mentor Evangeline G. Jones (left), a Bachelor of Architecture student from Mill Hall, and Allison M. Savage, coordinator of student success, staff a table to share information about the Hudock Center for Academic Excellence.
Kaysey L. Beury (left), coordinator of student success solutions, is joined by Savanna R. Duvall (center), of Petersburg, and Teagan J. Harzinski, of Curwensville, president and vice president of Alpha Alpha Alpha, a national honor society for first-generation students.
Representing the Center for Career Design are (from left) Madison N. Sweeney, career services fellow; Sarah F. Marino, career coach; and Dawn Storms, college relations event assistant.
Representatives from Truist Bank present a financial literacy workshop. Photo by Kaysey L. Beury
