Published on Nov. 26, 2024
Updated on Dec. 2, 2024
Story by Bre’Awna Warren
Being a first-generation student on a large campus can be difficult, especially when you haven’t found your community. The University of Missouri just made the feeling a lot less intimidating by adding a chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha), National Honor Society for First-Generation Students.
The mission of the Tri-Alpha chapter at Mizzou is to assist in the professional development of first-generation students who showcase exceptional academics and involvement on campus. On November 8, 2024, the induction ceremony was held to welcome 170 students, staff and faculty to the new Tri-Alpha chapter. Among those honored, two people’s exceptional accomplishments were recognized with the First-Generation Champion Award.
Jacob Phillips, hailing from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, is a junior studying social work with a minor in psychological sciences. Phillips is treasurer for First-Gen Tigers student organization, co-president and founding member of TRiO Student Organization (TSO), and a member of Council of Student Social Workers. He also volunteers as a patient escort at the VA Hospital.
Phillips said he enjoys the sense of community that Tri-Alpha provides for first-gen students.
“I am extremely honored and grateful to receive the First-Generation Champion Award,” Phillips said. “I am also grateful to the peers, mentors and programs that have supported me. Being a first-generation student requires a lot of perseverance, resilience and a commitment to overcoming barriers. This award is a reflection of those characteristics and reflects the value of the entire first-generation community.”
Rebecca Fallon is a senior academic advisor at the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs in the College of Arts & Science. She advises students majoring in economics, political science, and public administration and policy.
A first-generation student, Fallon graduated with honors from Mizzou’s School of Journalism in May 2010, and has been advising students ever since. Her first professional position was with the Missouri College Advising Corps, a college-access advising program, where she empowered Missouri high school students to go to college and succeed. She later worked in student financial aid before moving into her current academic advising role in 2014. She has co-facilitated the Trailblazers: First-Generation Freshman Interest Group since 2021.
“Getting to work with first-generation students is a true highlight of my job as an advisor,” Fallon said. “As a first-generation college student myself, I know that you must be more—more motivated, more resilient, more determined—to walk across the stage at Commencement. When you don’t even know what questions to ask, prior experience provides an edge. And I love being that edge for students. It’s a privilege to be first but it also comes with responsibility. As the first recipient of this award, I feel empowered to continue helping first-gen students forge their own path, with a little nudge from someone who has been there before.”
For more information on the First-Generation Champion Award, please contact Selena Meints (selenameints@missouri.edu), First-Generation Initiatives Coordinator at Mizzou.