<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/news/ssus-i-am-first-gen-mentors-offer-insight-and-support-first-generation-students.html" dsn="news"><featured/><pubDate>03/24/2025</pubDate><title>SSU’s I Am First Gen mentors offer insight and support for first-generation students</title><categories>Innovation</categories><description>Connecting students that identify as first-generation college students – students who are the first in their family to attend college to earn a four-year degree – the I Am First Gen program at Shawnee State University provides a place for students to ask for assistance when they do not know where to go. Students are connected with mentors across campus to form important relationships that support student success.</description><author/><image><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/Glenna-Heckler-Todt.jpg" alt="Dr. Glenna Heckler-Todt"/></image></item>