DeSales Honors First-Generation Community with Weeklong Celebration

DeSales Honors First-Generation Community with Weeklong Celebration

The Tri Alpha Honor Society is shining a light on first-generation students, faculty, and staff.

The honor society, designed exclusively for first-gen students, hosted a First-Gen Celebration Week in collaboration with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Academic Success Center.

During a special panel discussion, Father Kevin Nadolski, OSFS, Ph.D., chief of staff and vice president for mission, who is a member of Tri Alpha, offered an opening prayer and thanked the panel and the crowd for their perseverance, grit, and confidence.

"I really think that the first-gen community here at DeSales is the heart, the impulse center of who we are because it's so close to the history of our founding. Among the six colleges and universities in the Lehigh Valley, we have the largest number of first-gen students, and we are so proud of that."

Father Kevin Nadolski, OSFS, Ph.D., chief of staff and vice president for mission

The panel featured Nai Ri Lin '25, a biochemistry-molecular biology major; Helisa Nunez '27, a biology major; Lisa Dietz, instruction and assessment librarian at Trexler Library; and Jennifer Bruno, founder of Fruitful Seeds Counseling, LLC. They discussed topics ranging from applying and preparing for college to imposter syndrome and the unique challenges first-gen students face.

Bruno also shared her life story-being born to teenage parents in Queens, New York, and moving to Pennsylvania with her grandparents, who were from Puerto Rico and primarily spoke Spanish. After being expelled from school in the seventh or eighth grade, Bruno said she fell in love with helping people during her required community service.

In high school, she ended up moving in with her principal, who helped her apply to college and find scholarships. After graduating, Bruno went on to Northampton Community College and Cedar Crest College before earning her master's degree in social work from Marywood University.

"I was just determined to do something different," she said. "Fr. Kevin referred to us as barrier breakers; I often call us bloodline breakers."

Today, as founder of Fruitful Seeds Counseling, Bruno offers services in mental health, substance abuse, immigration, grief, co-parenting, and marital challenges. Her holistic approach is rooted in spiritual guidance.

"You'll do a lot of things and make a lot of mistakes, but I'm living proof that it's possible," she said.

The celebration week also included a first-gen window display in the DUC, a banner, a thank you card station, and a mix-n-mingle event.