Digital Den 10 Spot: First Gen Student Club with Amikha Woitas

Being first doesn’t mean going it alone. In this Digital Den 10 Spot, host Andria Donnenwerth talks with First Generation Cougs president Amikha Woitas about the community, encouragement, and resources helping first-generation students thrive at WSU Global Campus.

Amikha shares how casual Zoom meetings create space for connection, how the club helps students navigate college’s hidden curriculum, and why celebrating progress matters. Ahead of National First-Generation College Celebration on November 8, learn how this growing community of 57 members welcomes students and supporters, and how its CougStarter campaign can help provide academic supplies, club swag, and support for honor society and graduation recognition costs.

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For questions about the Digital Den, please email global.podcast@wsu.edu.

Episode Transcript

Andria Donnenwerth: Welcome to Ten Spot, a Digital Den feature where we give a Global Campus student organization a few minutes in the spotlight so you can discover another way to connect with the Global Cougar community.

Today we’re talking about First Generation Cougs, a community created to support students who are the first in their families to attend college or pursue higher education. And the timing couldn’t be better. National First Generation College Celebration is November 8th, giving us a chance to celebrate first generation students while also introducing you to a Global Campus community built specifically to help first-gen Cougs connect, ask questions, find resources, and keep moving forward to the finish line.

I’m joined by Amikha Woitas, President of First Generation Cougs. Amikha, welcome to The Den.

Amikha Woitas: Andria, thank you so much for having me. I’m very happy to be here.

Andria Donnenwerth: Oh, we’re so glad you are here today. So, Amikha, before we get started, I would love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself, your role with First Generation Cougs, and what the club is all about.

Amikha Woitas: Well, I’m a senior completing my degree through Global, and I first joined First Gen Cougs as a member last year and just really enjoyed the community. You know, at WSU, first generation students are those whose parents or guardians haven’t completed a four-year degree, or they didn’t do so while the student was growing up. And navigating college as a first-gen student is really—it comes with some unique challenges because of that, because the student is the trailblazer, just figuring things out as they go.

So this year, I’m the president of the club, and I lead with the support of my amazing co-lead, Kimberly Ramos. And our club’s mission is to provide community and resources to support first generation students while navigating college and for them to be able to thrive and not just survive.

We recognize that each student has a dream, or a vision, or even a necessity that they’ve seen that higher education is a means of achieving it. So really, we’re just excited to help students build momentum and excitement and keep charging ahead to reach their goals.

Our meetings are pretty laid back. We meet via Zoom, and our members are welcome to come and just connect however they’re comfortable. Cameras off. It can just be typing in the chat. We’d love to see faces on camera, but it’s just very, very casual and laid back.

Andria Donnenwerth: Wow, Amikha, what a great community, somewhere where first-gen students can really just get support and resources. And I love how you said thrive, not just survive. That’s always really good and a lot easier when you have a community behind you. And you describe your meetings as a casual place where students can just share their goals, excitement, and challenges with each other. So can you tell us a little bit more what it’s like to be part of that community?

Amikha Woitas: Definitely. You know, a lot of our meetings, whether we planned it that way or not, have really, they kind of evolved just to being more of like a conversational space, a place where you feel like you’re more talking to friends than being, you know, in a club or meeting, per se. But that’s just because we’ve created an environment where people can just show up as themselves, be comfortable, and really express themselves.

Andria Donnenwerth: When you are, you have others around you that are like, “Oh my gosh. Yeah, no, I experienced that too.” It’s so helpful and so reassuring to have someone there helping you navigate everything.

So, Amikha, navigating college, as you mentioned, as a first-generation student can come with a lot of unfamiliar territory. Why do you think having a first-gen community is especially valuable for students studying online through Global Campus?

Amikha Woitas: For some of the reasons that you just mentioned. For me, navigating college and higher education can really feel like attempting to navigate in a foreign country. So I have a little metaphor that I kind of relate to. You know, imagine you’re in that unfamiliar land, and your goal is to make it to a particular destination. Without any resources, you could do it, but it’s going to be a challenge, to say the least, because you’re kind of going in blind.

But now imagine if you have to make this journey and someone gives you a map, or maybe they help you plan your route or provide you with some tools and such. You’re much better prepared to make the journey.

So our club is basically hoping to do that. We aim to provide education, tools, and resources to promote student success. And what’s equally, if not more important, is the community that we provide.

Our first-gen community includes current students. You can kind of think of those are the travelers that are on the same journey as you, or making a journey at the same time as you, and those are the ones that offer to walk alongside you and help keep you encouraged and motivate and uplift you.

We also have the opportunity to walk with our alumni and supporters. And these are the travelers that have been there before that teach you the language, so to speak, show you the shortcuts, give you the tips, and maybe warn you about pitfalls along the way. So this kind of support and encouragement has really been impactful for members, so I’m glad that we have been able to establish that.

Andria Donnenwerth: Oh, wow, Amikha, that’s a great example. I really appreciate all of everything that you described, having those alumni, having those current students, having everybody with their own special support system that they can provide you as you’re all kind of navigating through that uncertainty.

So beyond your regular meetings, you host special events and invite guest speakers. Could you share a few examples of the activities or resources that your members could look forward to?

Amikha Woitas: One of our big goals is to share what we call the hidden curriculum. So hidden curriculum are the things that you really need to be able to navigate college, be able to function, to be able to meet all the milestones without lagging behind. But no one teaches you that in the classroom necessarily.

So what we like to do is partner with mentors and various departments to bring that information directly to First Gen Club. And that can cover things like financial aid, scholarships, travel abroad, career readiness. So just really a variety.

But we also want to make sure that even if it’s not in our club space, we want our club members to be able to connect with resources outside of the club as well. So being able to share what’s available through WSU and other areas, it’s that sharing that gets everyone the information that they need.

Andria Donnenwerth: I love that. Yeah, because a lot of times, because, you know, as students, you don’t know what you don’t know. So it’s lovely to have this community of saying, “Here, did you know about this resource? Here, let me share you another resource.” So that’s great. I really appreciate that your club provides that opportunity and option.

So, Amikha, November 8th is National First Generation College Celebration. What does that recognition mean to you, and how is First Generation Cougs planning to celebrate this year?

Amikha Woitas: Yeah, the first-gen celebration is really, really neat. I think that the celebration is an opportunity to recognize the hard work, dedication, and determination that first-gen students put into their education.

You know, every student’s journey is different, and we don’t always see the challenges that people face behind the scenes. You may never understand what people are going through and what it’s taking them to push through, you know, to not just give up. So we really hope to recognize that and to have our members realize that, hey, you’re doing something that’s a big deal, and it’s worth being proud of.

And, you know, as trailblazers, you’re taking the steps into the unknown and working towards futures that can really create new opportunities for each student and their families. It’s really important that we take this time just to celebrate, let them know that, you know, we’re all in this together. And there’s people that believe in what we’re doing and are cheering for us.

You know, sometimes you’re so focused on reaching the next milestone that we forget to celebrate the progress that we’ve made. So this day, which we are turning into a whole weeklong, monthlong celebration here at WSU Global, we hope to make that a reminder that our hard work deserves recognition, and being the first to take the path doesn’t mean that it’s not possible. It just—I hope that students take a moment to appreciate how far they’ve come instead of just focusing on what they still need to accomplish. It’s all worth being proud of.

Andria Donnenwerth: That is a great shout-out, Amikha! I really am glad that your club and you all are choosing to help everyone focus on celebrating themselves and their accomplishments. So with around 52 members, you have a growing community to support. What would your CougStarter campaign make possible for those members?

Amikha Woitas: Right. You know, we are at 57 now, so it’s still growing. And that’s very exciting. But it makes us have to be a little more creative with our spending.

So with those additional funds, it would just allow us to reach out and be able to send things to each of our members, even if it’s something little, motivational gifts. But the main thing is just to be able to expand our efforts to let our members know that, hey, someone’s thinking of you. You can do this. Keep going. Don’t stop. We really want to encourage, empower, and celebrate our members.

So major things that we want to focus on are sending out school supplies or things that would help in academic success, like planners, that type thing. But also club swag is always fun. And then to celebrate some of those bigger milestones, we have membership as part of the First Generation Honor Society.

So what we would love to do is be able to remove any financial barriers for members that are deserving of those honors. Sometimes with graduation honors and that type of thing, there are costs associated with it, and those could be prohibitive. So if we are able to cover those costs, then I want our members to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor without having to make a choice or feel like the financial part of it is a barrier.

Andria Donnenwerth: Wow, Amikha, that is some really great opportunities to support your students through some additional funding, things such as planners. I know Global Campus students, man, they really can use a planner. They have so many things that they’re trying to keep track of and deadlines, and then just swag.

You know, sometimes people forget that when you’re on a physical campus, it might be easier to get that free swag as you walk across the table. But us online students, you know, a little bit more challenging. So it really means a lot to them when they receive those little tokens of appreciation. And just, I see you doing your hardest. I really appreciate, Amikha, that your club is raising funds to support those types of initiatives.

So, Amikha, do you have to be a first-generation student to join? And what’s the best first step for someone who wants to get involved?

Amikha Woitas: Andria, you do not have to be a first-generation student to be part of our club, and I have seen members that are current students that just want to help, and that really, like, hits my heart because that’s what we need, just to be able to share information and support one another.

So whether you’re alumni, whether you are an educator or staff, faculty, or just, you know, someone in the community that cares about helping support student success, especially for first-generation students, for someone that’s looking to join, you can definitely reach out to me directly at amikha.woitas@wsu.edu.

You can look for us on our First Generation Cougs Club page on Global Campus’ Involve site. And from that page, you can complete our club interest form, and we’ll be sure to reach out to you. For our supporters, we would love to have you join our community and our meetings as well. And for this month, we’d appreciate it if you would donate to our fundraiser on CougStarter.

Andria Donnenwerth: Perfect, and we will include all of those links in our description of our episode, including the link for the CougStarter fund so you can support their current fundraising opportunities.

So, all right, Amikha, it’s time for our signature question. You’ve got 10 seconds to convince a fellow Global Coug to check out First Generation Cougs. What do you say?

Amikha Woitas: College is hard, and being the first to do it can be even harder. But you’ve got this. You belong here, and you don’t have to do it alone. First Gen Cougs is here to help you thrive and cross that finish line. So let’s get it. Go, Cougs!

Andria Donnenwerth: Oh, yes. Go, Cougs. I couldn’t say it better myself, Amikha. That was a great way to invite everyone over. So, Amikha, thank you for joining us and introducing us to First Generation Cougs.

Amikha Woitas: Thank you for having us, Andria. We appreciate you.

Andria Donnenwerth: So, as we approach National First Generation College Celebration on November 8th, we’re celebrating the accomplishments, persistence, and community of first-gen Cougs throughout Global Campus. If you’d like to connect with First Generation Cougs or support their work, as mentioned, we’ll include all the information about their club and their current CougStarter campaign within this episode.

This has been Ten Spot from Digital Den. Until next time, Go Cougs!