Dear Transitions students,
I write to extend a warm invitation to participate in the ongoing research that the Transitions Research Team has been doing with first generation and/or low-income students at Vassar. Every year, the team collects student narratives in the form of interviews about their adjustment and experiences at Vassar. We are doing another round of data collection this semester and we would love to hear your story.
Eligibility
If you identify as a low-income student at Vassar and/or a student whose parents did not complete a college degree in the U.S., please respond to a member of the research team to let us know that you’re interested. Formal or extended participation in Transitions or Foundations is not required. (If you have questions about your eligibility, don’t hesitate to contact one of us to ask.)
Process
Participants can choose a particular researcher from the list below for the interview and contact that researcher directly. If there is no preference, please contact my research assistant, Evelyn Lazaro-Ruiz, who will set up an interview with a member of the team. Alternatively, if anyone has a really strong preference to do the interview with me, simply contact me at errueda@vassar.edu. (Note: I will not be present for interviews that are conducted by student members of the research team.) Interviews generally take about an hour – or longer, depending on how much you want to share – and are audio recorded with your permission. The questions that we ask during interviews are open-ended, rather than survey questions, so you’ll have a chance to provide your own narrative and emphasize what is most important about your experiences.
Goals
1) To understand the experiences of first gen and/or low-income students at an elite, predominantly white college.
2) To provide recommendations to the college – in your words, from your perspective – that can strengthen the institution’s ability to support first gen and low-income students on campus.
Research Team
All members of the research team are first gen, low-income students. Members of the research team are listed below and all of our bio’s can be found on our project website. (Note: Vanessa Vazquez is studying abroad during the Spring 2020 semester and will not be available to conduct interviews.)
1) Kayla Gonzalez ‘20 <kagonzalez@vassar.edu>
2) Evelyn Lazaro-Ruiz ‘21 <elazaroruiz@vassar.edu>
3) Eugene Lopez-Huerta ‘20 <elopezhuerta@vassar.edu>
4) Majella Sheehan ‘22 <mmsheehan@vassar.edu>
5) Maira Vargas ‘22 <mvargas@vassar.edu>
If you have any questions, let us know! We are happy to fill you in on more details.
We’re looking forward to hearing your stories,
Prof. Rueda and the Transitions Research Team