Staff voice: Centering first-generation students at MSU

Christina Bridges is a strategic retention manager with Undergraduate Education in the Office of the Provost. She leads university-wide retention initiatives that remove barriers to enrollment, foster belonging and empower Spartans to thrive from entry through graduation. As co-lead for the upcoming First-Generation Student Success Center, Bridges is committed to creating spaces and systems that celebrate first-generation students and ensure their success at MSU and beyond.

When I reflect on my journey as a first-generation college student, I’m reminded of those early days when simply figuring out where to start felt like an act of courage. Courage to step into spaces where no one in your family has gone before, to persist even when the path feels unclear. There were moments of uncertainty but also an enduring sense of pride. Pride in being the first in my family to pursue a college degree and to open a door that had never been walked through before.

That journey, filled with both challenge and pride through each of my three degrees, drives my work every day. This lived experience shapes how I show up as a member of Michigan State University’s community, both as a professional and an educator.

Previous teaching experience in undergraduate courses reminds me that students don’t just need information — they need connection. They need to know that someone believes in their ability to succeed here. In my role within Undergraduate Education’s Strategic Retention Unit, I have the privilege of helping students navigate those same moments of uncertainty.

Every semester, our team leads coordinated efforts across campus to remove barriers that might delay enrollment or derail persistence. For first-generation students, particularly, those barriers can be as simple as, and as complex as, not knowing who to ask for help.

Through the work of our Strategic Retention Unit, I’ve seen firsthand how intentional outreach and cross-campus collaboration can transform student outcomes. Our team leads multiunit efforts to remove enrollment barriers, connect students to financial and academic support, and create pathways toward graduation. For first-generation students in particular, this work often means translating institutional language into care, ensuring they don’t just make it to MSU, but through MSU, earning their first degree.

As MSU prepares to open the First-Generation Student Success Center, the cornerstone of the new Spartan Success Center, in January 2027, this effort is about more than a physical space. It’s about cultivating a community of belonging, one that validates the lived experiences of first-generation students and ensures they have equitable access to the resources, guidance and relationships that help them thrive.

I’m proud to co-lead the creation of this center alongside my colleague, Heather Shea, director of Undergraduate Education’s Pathways Persistence Programs, who supports many first-generation students. Together, Shea and I are working to ensure that the center reflects not only institutional priorities but also the voices and lived experiences of the students it exists to serve.

Recognition of the first-gen experience isn’t just symbolic; it’s transformative. The hidden curriculum of higher education — the unspoken rules, expectations and insider knowledge that some students inherit, and others must learn through trial and error — is everywhere. When MSU illuminates and centers the first-gen experience, it sends a powerful message to our entire Spartan community: first-generation students belong here. They are valued members of the Spartan family who can find community, mentorship and pride in their journey.

By emphasizing the prominence of first-gen experience on campus, MSU reaffirms its commitment to building a campus where all students can say with pride, “I belong here.”

MSU recognizes first-generation students during First-Generation College Celebration Week and beyond, uplifting the voices and achievements of Spartans while promoting a sense of belonging and connection across the university. Learn more at firstgen.msu.edu.