First Gen Fellows hosts 2nd Swipe Right for Success

UW Tacoma’s First Gen Fellows hosted Valentine’s Day Speed Dating: Swipe Right for Success on Feb. 14. The event had treats, themed decor and a speed-dating style rotation to pair stu­dents with professors and staff from various departments to make connec­tions outside of the classroom.

This is the second Swipe Right for Success event put on by First Gen Fellows. First Gen Fellows is a program on cam­pus that provides support to those who self-identify as first generation college students. They host numerous events, workshops and sessions throughout the year to assist students in transitioning into the university lifestyle.

James Da, First Gen Fellows leader­ship development coordinator, wanted this event to be beneficial to students and to be a place for connection between students and faculty.

“Swipe Right for Success is intended to bridge the gap or ‘break the ice’ be­tween students, staff and faculty,” Da said. “Research shows that having a connec­tion with your professor(s) could make for a better classroom experience, help retain students and build networking skills. First Gen Fellows wanted to foster this connection by making it a fun event!”

Students chose ice-breaker questions from a fish bowl to ask and answer with the professor or UWT staff member they were paired with. Questions were a mix­ture of fun and career focused topics to break the ice and start a conversation.

“I am hoping that students realize that striking up a conversation with their faculty/staff is not intimidating and could actually be beneficial to them,” Da said. “I want professors and staff alike to also learn that our students are multidimen­sional and bring many talents to the table, aside from their academic skills.”

Da and his team plan to continue the Swipe Right for Success series as they had positive feedback from students who participated in their exit survey.

“I think with every Swipe Right that we host, more and more students and faculty are wanting a repeat of it,” Da said. “As a group, we’re being less hard on our­selves and using our mistakes for a better Swipe Right the following quarter. It’s amazing to see how much we have grown, in terms of interest, size and team dynam­ics since fall quarter.”

For more information on First Gen Fellows
and to see their upcoming events, visit
tacoma.uw.edu/firstgen