Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Being the first in your family to go to college is a feat worth celebrating — and worth supporting. Approximately 20% of PharmD students at the University of Iowa (UI) College of Pharmacy identify as first-generation. These students often navigate unique challenges as they pursue their professional education. 

Through the generosity of Miekeleen Hart, ’79 BSPh, the college has launched the First Gen Success Network —a comprehensive initiative designed to advance student success, foster a sense of belonging, and support long-term academic persistence.

The network is led by Associate Dean of Student Affairs Cindy Sanoski and Director of Student Success Tammy Fraser. From the outset, they recognized the importance of making it student-driven. “Who knows what would be the most helpful to first-gen students better than the students?” said Fraser. 

Two young women standing in front of a black wall that reads "IOWA" in gold letters. On the left: a tall woman with glasses in a black Iowa Pharmacy zip-up. On the right: a shorter woman in a white Iowa Hawkeyes zip-up. Black and white students of faculty are behind them on the wall.
Isabele Raveling (left) and Katlyn Zawojski (right)

Students Take the Lead

Following a competitive application and interview process, first-generation students Isabele Raveling and Katlyn Zawojski were selected as student leaders of the First Gen Success Network and were awarded scholarships. Their role is to guide the development of programming for incoming first-gen students during Engagement Week in August and design an initiative that will lay the foundation for a sustained, community-focused program for Fall 2026. 

Raveling was a member of the UI program FirstGen Hawks as an undergraduate student, first as a mentee and later becoming a mentor. The program helped to form a tight-knit community of first-gen students. 

“But when I started at the College of Pharmacy, I didn’t know where to go for resources. I didn’t know who else was first-gen,” Raveling said. “Being able to be a part of the process that shines a light on this side of the college is really interesting to me.”

Zawojski joined the First Gen Success Network because she knows firsthand that first-generation students “have a lot of challenges we have to face, and a lot of the unknown.” Now in her third year, she looks back and wishes she had known more before starting at the college. As a student leader, she looks forward to using her experience and passion for helping others to form a community for first-gen students.

“I’m so thankful to have a donor who was able to give us the opportunity to support our first-generation students, because sometimes the barrier we face is overlooked,” Zawojski said. 

Helping First-Gen Take Flight

Two young women (Raveling and Zawojski) sitting in a classroom next to each other. The woman on the left is showing something on her laptop to the girl on the right, who is leaning in and laughing.

The network’s first course of action was to meet with first-generation students to determine their top priorities. Three initial goals were set: to build a sense of community among first-gen students, to implement a first-gen mentor program, and to increase an understanding of career options available in pharmacy. With goals in place, Raveling and Zawojski have launched into planning new events and initiatives.

First, they’re working to establish a peer mentorship program to pair first-gen mentees with first-gen mentors. The goal is to provide incoming students with an immediate connection to someone who understands their experience and can help guide them through their time at the college.

The First Gen Success Network is also focused on setting students up for success during Engagement Week. Planned activities include a first-gen social where students can meet faculty in a low-stakes environment and a presentation on impostor syndrome, a problem that “is really typical to first-gen students,” Raveling said. 

The network doesn’t just plan to help students settle in at the College of Pharmacy but set them up for long-term success. Programming on careers in pharmacy that often get overlooked by students will be planned such as community pharmacy and paths that don’t involve residency. While these events are geared towards first-gen students, they’ll be open to all who may benefit from them.

“I hope the network will become a vibrant initiative,” said Fraser. “These students are learning about the power of self-advocacy and building skills to address problems proactively.  When we do a better job serving a particular population, especially one that may face barriers, we do a better job of serving all our students”