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Dreams of College

Alum News

Helen Lan Fong Lee
BY ANDREA COOPER

Published September 13, 2016

Career: Training and development specialist. “What I love is that not only do I help directly train our future and current leaders, but I also get to build community and inspire staff members to bring to life our values and mission.”

Working to get an education: “I would imagine myself in the classroom and dream about college as I was on my knees scrubbing floors.”

Escape route: “Perhaps my upbringing in a very tough city developed my internal belief that I could escape, survive and still have dreams beyond my current situation.”


This story appears in the Summer 2016 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.

Learn More

1st Gen 

Changing the script: Coming to Smith as first in the family to finish college can mean culture shock and confusion. But, as one alumna says, can open doors to 'a life I never knew existed'. 

Motivated to Succeed 

Jewels Rhode ’11
Durham, North Carolina
Psychology major

A Path of Her Own Making 

Kiara Gomez ’14
on a Fulbright in Athens, Greece
Geosciences major

Prevailing Over a Rough Start 

Allison Bellew Sousa ’08
Boulder, Colorado
Computer science major

Doors Opened 

Sarah Coburn ’07
Philadelphia
English major

Resources for First-Generation Students 

A compliation of some of the resources available to FIGS, the group of First-Generation Students that together form a community of support and success.

Photograph by Robbie McClaran, April 29th, 2016, in Portland, Oregon