Name:
Lynn Meade
Position Title or Student Involvements:
Teaching Assistant Professor, Office of Student Success and Co-Director, Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center
What degrees have you obtained or are working on?
Ed.D. Higher Education College Teaching and Leadership. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2007. M.A. Communication. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1996. B.A. Communication. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR. December 1994. A.A. Management. University of Maryland, European Division, Baumholder and Idar-Oberstein Germany, 1991.
What does it mean to you to be a first-generation student/graduate?
As a first generation college student I had to learn to navigate the system without advice from family. It was hard at times not knowing how to act or the things that were expected. Now that I look back, I am thankful for the experience because it made me flexible and gave me grit. I had to learn to ask questions when I didn’t know what to do next and I had to seek out guides a long the way. Because I didn’t have family with college experience, I had to be resourceful and I had to be open to being vulnerable enough to admit that I just don’t know what I don’t know.
Why is being a first-generation student/graduate important to you?
My mom used to tell me that I had the can’t help its. I can’t help that I have an insatiable drive to learn things. I seem to be wired to learn. I love that the UA provided me a place where I can grow intellectually and I am so grateful that now I can use that knowledge to serve others. Ultimately, being a first generation student is less about where I came from and more about now that I am educated who can I help. I am proud to be able to work with so many wonderful UA students and it brings me great joy to develop programs for UA faculty.
What piece of advice would you give to first-generation students?
1. You belong here! Most every student I know doubts at one time or another if college is right for them and wonders if they belong. These are normal questions. 2. Ask question and then ask more questions. Faculty and staff want to help you and they want you to succeed. There are so many resources available. Asking for help is not a weakness, it means you are strong enough to advocate for yourself. 3. Be grateful. Be grateful that you made it to college, be grateful that your teacher cares enough about you to give you homework, be grateful that you have the opportunity to meet people you like and to learn about people you don’t like, be grateful that although it may be rough at times that you were tough enough to get here and strong enough to see it through to the end. 4. College is less about your degree plan and more about developing curiosity, learning resilience, and discovering yourself. With that said, you should go ahead and get the degree while discovering yourself.