Correction appended. 

On Friday, the Student Support Services Program hosted an event in Levin Ballroom celebrating the contributions of first-generation college students to Brandeis, titled “I Am Historic.”

The event also commemorated SSSP’s 25th anniversary, and featured speakers from across the University, including faculty, SSSP administration and graduating students. SSSP, which defined itself as “a community-oriented program in Academic Services” in the event’s program, aids students by providing “holistic advising, academic support, cultural enrichment activities, and peer mentoring to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree.” SSSP Director Dr. Jennifer Morazes stated at the event that SSSP aids students who are “the first in their family to attend college, are defined as low-income according to the federal government, and/or have overcome significant barriers to be at Brandeis.” It is funded in part by a federal TRiO grant from the U.S. Department of Education, a program providing access to education for first-generation and low income students.

SSSP serves 150 students overall, including about 40 incoming students each year, through three academic advisers, 12 peer mentors and 25 one-on-one peer tutors. According to Morazes, all of SSSP’s staff are themselves first-generation college graduates. In an interview with the Justice, Morazes said that SSSP students “have overcome significant barriers to be here, but they are not defined by their adversity. They are defined by their strength and their resilience and their achievements.”

Michelle Dennis ’18 and Wilkins Lugo ’17 moderated the event, which began with Student Union President-elect Nyah Macklin ’16—herself an SSSP-participating student—singing Beyoncé Knowles’ “I Am Here,” to thunderous applause. Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Dr. Kim Godsoe followed Macklin and spoke on Brandeis’ history of including and supporting first-generation college students. Addressing this year’s graduating SSSP students, Godsoe said, “On behalf of the Provost Office, let me just say that we are so proud of each and every one of you and the incredible journeys you have made to be here right now.” Godsoe oversaw SSSP from 1998 through 2007 under the title of Assistant Dean for Student Enrichment Services.

Morazes then spoke about the importance of supporting first-generation students. She spoke about feeling excluded when she attended a private high school on scholarship—being called a “bunion” by other students—and noted that half of college students in the United States are the first in their family to attend college.

“We are not on the road less traveled, but that does not mean that the road is an easy one,” Morazes stated. “Brandeis distinguishes itself … among elite universities in having SSSP for 25 years. And this far outnumbers the number of years some other elite Universities have acknowledged the realities of first generation students,” according to Morazes.

SSSP Assistant Director Elena Lewis then spoke on her experiences working with SSSP for 10 years, and acknowledged the students’ work this year through the “I am Awareness” week in March, student documentaries and the new exhibit in the Academic Services office charting the history of “access to education at Brandeis.”

Students then presented the keynote addresses. Colleen Beckford ’14 M.S. ’15 spoke about her desire to be “a representation for women and people of color who want to pursue careers in medicine and research” and acknowledged her pride in being the first in her family to receive not only a bachelor’s degree but also a master’s degree in biotechnology. “My heart still has some trouble fully understanding this, but what I do know is that this degree is a testament to what I am capable of and what I have yet to achieve,” said Beckford.

Vinh Nguyen ’15 then spoke about his decision to change his career plans from studying to be a doctor to being a high school science teacher after the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Flo.

He argued that “access to a quality education is imperative to gaining social mobility.”

Following Nguyen, Yeng Her ’16 and Ajai Scott ’15 presented a photo documentary in which SSSP students and administrators were shown holding whiteboards that read “I am Historic,” followed by an explanation of why the individual felt they were historic.

Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC) then spoke at length about Brandeis’ history of social advocacy and protest, discussing the University’s opposition to drafting young men into the Vietnam War based on low college grade point averages, the takeover of Ford Hall, protests urging the University to divest from apartheid South Africa—which resulted in legal action being taken against the student protestors—and the current movement urging divestment from fossil fuels.

Finally, Lewis acknowledged the members of the the SSSP Student Leadership Board, noting their hard work and sacrifices to help the program.

Lewis then asked the graduating seniors in SSSP to stand and receive applause from the audience. The event was followed by a reception in the Usdan Student Center.

In addition to SSSP, Academic Services and the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance co-sponsored the event.

An earlier version of this article misstated that Trayvon Martin had been killed in Ferguson, Mo. Martin was killed in Sanford, Flo.