Blazing New Paths: First Gen Students and the Arts (Malloy 201)
A workshop by Sean H. McPherson , Micaila (Mickey) Britto-Patten , Vanessa Greaves and Ariyan Ortiz
About this Workshop
First-Gen students are often encouraged by both family members and academic advisors to choose majors that purportedly assure immediate employment in fields directly related to their coursework. Even if students have strong interests and strengths in humanities majors, and particularly in arts-related fields such as Studio Art or Art History, they are often told to focus on subjects such as Business, Management, or pre-professional training. The students and faculty on this panel will speak about their choices to follow their passions and to pursue areas of study in the arts, with attention to the challenges and opportunities this choice entails. What questions should we as students and as teachers consider as we pursue training in arts-related disciplines? What sorts of experiences, coursework and connections should we pursue in college that will carry over into continued success after graduation?