First-Generation Dragons
What we do

First-Generation Dragons strive to provide resources to students who are the first in their families to go to college. We host National First-Generation College Student day every year on campus where spend the day celebrating all students who are the pioneers of their families going to college through panels, discussions, and socials. We also host an all-day fundraiser during our celebrations to help an incoming first-gen student with tuition costs. Once a month we email a newsletter where we celebrate the stories of TU alumni, staff, faculty, and students who are first-generation. #ImFirst #FirstGenDragons
Who is considered a first-generation college student?
According to NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators), a first-generation college student is defined as an undergraduate whose parents do not have a bachelor’s or higher degree.
Fund a dream for a first-generation student.
Donating to our scholarship, you are not only donating to help a deserving student pay for their tuition, you are also helping fund their dreams of being the first in their families to go to college. 20% of first-generation college students are considered low-income. Donate today to help a first-gen dragon.
Check out the First-Generation Dragon Newsletter
Newsletter Archives
Upcoming Events
Nov. 8, 2022: National First-Generation College Student Day
12:30 pm- Welcome remarks and scholarship recipient
12:40 pm- Keynote Address with Mr. Akeem Needum, MBA
12:50 pm- Alumni and Faculty Panel (Michael Saliba (BBA Class of 2019), Chari Mullen (Class of 2006 for BCJ & 2010 for MBA), Dr. David Farler (PhD Class of 2022) Dr. Jenipher Coppin (PhD Class of 2022), and Professor Nick Reinhard
1:20 pm- Audience Q&A
Meet the First-Generation Dragons Advisor

Kylie Skeel
School of Creative and Media Arts
Degrees & Certificates
M.H., in English, Tiffin University
B.A., in English with Licensure in Education, Tiffin University
Professor Kylie Skeel is currently a PhD Student at Bowling Green State University where she is studying rhetoric and writing. Her research interests include first-generation college students, feminist rhetoric, and first-year writing studies. Professor Skeel serves as the co-founder and advisor for First-Generation Dragons, the on-campus student organization, and she is also a member of the National Council of Teachers of English. Professor Skeel was also a panelist speaker in 2021 for the national Conference on College Composition and Communication where she presented her research on pedagogies to utilize in the first-year writing classrooms for first-generation college students. She will also be presenting her work at CCCC again in March of 2022; her presentation is called Celebrating Black Women through Research, Rhetoric, and Writing. She will be educating her audience on the importance of including Black women’s voices in higher education and the lasting impacts representation in the writing classroom has on retention in higher education. Lastly, Professor Skeel is scheduled to defend her dissertation in May of 2023. Her project will research how Black women who are the first in their families to go to college function in the writing classroom and how their overall collegiate experiences differ from that of traditional students.
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