Professor Veryl Miles published an article in Catholic Standard on September 4, 2024, where she reflects on Catholic University's Take Flight program, designed for first-generation students. Now in its fifth year, this initiative is directed by Javier Bustamante, who leads the University's Center for Cultural Engagement. Click here to read the full article.

---

Catholic Standard
Date: September 4, 2024
By: Veryl Miles
First generation students at Catholic University are taking flight

. . .

These challenges can threaten the academic success that students and their families hope for. Yet successfully managing these obstacles can also equip first-generation students with resilience that helps them to achieve their goal of earning a degree. It is vital that colleges and universities step in to bridge the critical gaps these students face. Ultimately, it is about helping these students build confidence, gain the knowledge necessary for success, and feel that they truly belong.

At The Catholic University of America where I teach, we take this support role seriously through our Take Flight program, an initiative open to all first-generation students. Now in its fifth year, the program is led by Javier Bustamante, director of our Center for Cultural Engagement. Thanks to his leadership, Take Flight has become a success story, boasting impressive retention and graduation rates. For example, the first cohort of Take Flight students admitted in the fall of 2019 achieved a very impressive graduation rate of 81 percent in 2023. For the first-generation class admitted in the fall of 2023 we can report an exceptional retention rate of 93 percent for our Take Flight participants.

. . .