First-Generation Students
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is proud of our first-generation students! Being the first member of your family to attend college is a big accomplishment. We are here to celebrate with you and help you navigate your journey at SAIC. SAIC has a nationally recognized first-gen program that connects first-gen students with faculty, staff, and each other.
We honor students who identify as being the first members of their family to attend college. First-gen students can find community through our annual first-gen celebration day or the First-Generation Fellows program. We welcome you, we congratulate you, and we recognize you as an invaluable part of the SAIC community.
First-Generation Fellows
The First-Generation Fellows program at SAIC provides a holistic engagement experience for SAIC’s incoming, first-generation students (meaning their parents or guardians did not graduate from college). The Fellows program aims to provide opportunities for students to engage with the campus community and learn the skills necessary to be successful in college and beyond.
- Structured support from a faculty mentor and peer mentor.
- On-campus employment coupled with intentional support and supervision.
- Engagement opportunities with peers to increase a sense of belonging.
- Regular workshops focused on accessing resources and achieving academic success.
These opportunities seek to help the Fellows feel connected to the community, engage in the academic, artistic and social experiences at SAIC and help when needed.
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The First-Gen Fellows Program offers:
- On Campus Employment: Students who work on campus are connected to a team of peers and a supervisor with knowledge of campus resources and feel more connected to the community.
- Faculty and Peer Mentorship: Faculty mentors will work directly with Fellows to provide educational opportunities and student support. Peer mentors are a sophomore, junior, or senior first-gen student who assists
- Fellows in their transition to SAIC.
- Community Engagement: Fellows will have multiple opportunities to connect with others who share their first-gen identity including gatherings, lunches, and peer mentorship groups.
- Ongoing Education: Fellows attend multiple workshops throughout the academic year that focus on skill-building, professional development, and academic/artistic success.
Our First-Generation Community Members
At SAIC, we celebrate our first-generation students every day—but we like to take an extra moment on First-Generation College Celebration Day every November. Here, four first-gen SAIC community members share their stories and advice.
Student Nick Williams
Why is attending college important to you?
My father and grandmother have made and will continue to make sacrifices to ensure my happiness and success as an artist and constructive member of a community. I'm incredibly thankful to have family in my life who will go to great lengths to give me opportunities they weren't afforded in adulthood. I believe I owe it to both my family and myself to finish school. My family is very understanding of my desire to pursue art at the collegiate level, and I like to make sure that I take my degree as seriously as they take my interests.
Alum Christine Abigaíl Meinders
How did college help your career?
College helped my career by providing a rigorous and freeing environment that encouraged me to make connections and network with as many folks as I could. College gave me courage to put myself out there and welcome challenges. The connections I made with peers, professors, and faculty have opened so many doors for me in the Chicago art world and beyond.
Lecturer Alex Bradley Cohen
What advice would you give to current first-generation college students?
Take risks and be as open as you possibly can. But you also must remain true and honest to the places and spaces that have shaped you. You might at times feel that you are out of place, but you must find ways to embrace this discomfort. This discomfort might be your best opportunity to introduce your whole self into the equation while expanding each and every conversation that you find yourself in.
Coach Alberto Ponce
How did college help your career and creative practice?
I think something unique to our first-gen experience is the initial need to figure things out on your own with no context to inform you, and the ongoing feeling that you "don't belong." These feelings can be so overwhelming to navigate but knowing there are others here—students, staff, and faculty alike—that have either been in the same position, or still currently deal with these feelings. It can be reassuring to know you're not alone and to build community with each other. I think it is helpful to be around people who share and understand your experience.
What Is This?
Loretta Bourque, Faculty Mentor
Email: lbourque@saic.edu
Loretta Bourque is an Assistant Professor, Adjunct in the Department of Contemporary Practices at SAIC. She also taught in the Painting and Drawing Department and the Teacher Institute in Contemporary Art (TICA) Summer Studio Extension Program, Division of Continuing Studies. Prior experience includes Visiting Faculty, Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL, and Assistant Professor in the Art Department at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL. Loretta lives and works in Chicago. She is represented by Linda Warren Projects.
Anita Welborn, Faculty Mentor
Email: awelbon@saic.edu
Anita Welbon is an Assistant Professor, Adjunct, in the Liberal Arts Department where she has taught First Year Seminar and Humanities classes since 1993. In addition to teaching, she is a Faculty Advisor in Academic Advising. Outside of SAIC, Anita indexes scholarly books for university presses and serves as Board President for Sisters in Cinema, a non-profit, media arts organization.
Peter Fagundo, Faculty Mentor
Email: pfagun@saic.edu
Peter Fagundo (Trustee Merit Scholar, SAIC MFA 2000) is a painter and adjunct associate professor in Contemporary Practices, instructor in the Painting and Drawing department.