First-Generation College Celebration Spotlight Series: Christine Cooper-Rompato
English Department Professor Christine Cooper-Rompato was a first-generation college student. Her parents emigrated from England and didn’t grow up with the U.S. school system, so while they encouraged Christine to do well in school, she also relied on friends to help her toward the collegiate path. “For example, when I was a senior, my friend Maura signed me up for the SAT, picked me up in her car, and loaned me a calculator to take the test. Maura also got me a college application to fill out. In college I relied on friends a lot too to help me figure out what to do. Much of it was also trial and error. I had a great English composition teacher who helped me —because of her I changed majors to English,” Christine says.
A key player in Christine’s journey to college was her mother, who worked full-time while raising her children. She also took some college classes while Christine was growing up: “I remember driving with her to a class and sitting in the back of a lecture hall reading a book. That was the first time I was ever on a college campus. She also worked in an after-school program to help pay for my tuition.”
Christine notes there can be difficulty within families for first-generation students as they try to navigate their desire for a satisfying career and wanting something financially secure that will also satisfy their family. Her father wanted her to focus on journalism rather than literature because he was afraid she wouldn’t be able to support herself, but over time, he got used to the idea of her being an English major. Christine reflects, “When I got my PhD, my father warned me not to get “above myself” — I think he was afraid that I might treat family members differently now that I had finished my education. Recognizing the push-pull of family expectations and fears helped me work through these tensions.”
This year, Christine taught a Connections course for first-generation students and loved it. She says first-generation students are incredibly hard-working and independent, wanting to figure things out for themselves. She says, “I would recommend all first-gens find a faculty mentor and visit their teachers during office hours, even if it’s just to chat. You don’t have to figure out everything on your own!”
November 8th is the annual National First-Generation College Celebration day, which “strives not only to celebrate first-gen students’ contributions to their communities but also to occasion systemic social change by dismantling barriers to first-generation student success.” The English Department is thrilled to celebrate and spotlight our first-generation faculty and graduate instructors all month long.