At Boston University’s Newbury Center, a key Aspire Institute global partner since 2022, first-generation college students discover a community that understands their journey. Under the leadership of Executive Director Maria Dykema Erb and Associate Director M.C. Damm, the center provides comprehensive support to first-generation undergraduate, graduate, and professional students through programming, mentorship, and community building.
“So many university settings are so large in the sense of being able to access different opportunities, particularly for our first gen students or our low income students,” Damm said. “There’s a hidden curriculum. There’s a sense of you have to know the right person to ask the right question to get in front of these opportunities that can be really life changing.”
The Newbury Center partners with Aspire Institute to build bridges for these first-generation and low-income students as they navigate their undergraduate years and transition into the professional world.
Leading Through Experience: Personal Journeys Shape Professional Impact
Born on a dairy farm in Vermont, Erb’s path through higher education transformed her world.
“To me, college was very liberating,” she reflected. “I believe that education was really the key for me to be able to see the world in a different way than I would have seen it if I didn’t go to college.”
With over 30 years in higher education and student affairs, she has enjoyed combining different experiences to contribute to the center’s success.
Damm, who started as assistant director in spring 2022, grew up in a Minnesota community where college attendance wasn’t common.
“I didn’t have that familial experience or guidance, and I relied on a network of supportive staff and professors and folks in the community [to] help me make my way through that undergraduate experience,” they explained.
Building a Comprehensive Support System for First-Generation Success
The Newbury Center was established when Newbury College, a small private liberal arts college in Brookline, Massachusetts that primarily served first-generation, low-income students, closed its doors. The university received funding from Newbury College’s endowment. This has now grown from a one-person operation to a six-person team, including renowned scholar Dr. Anthony Abraham Jack as faculty director.
“We provide support to our first-gen undergrad, grad, and professional students in a variety of ways,” Damm explained. “They fall into three main categories: social events, personal professional development opportunities, and holistic advising.”
Their signature “Fuel Up Friday” event provides a weekly space for students to connect with peers, fuel up on breakfast foods, and learn about on and off campus resources.
The center’s support spans from welcome sessions through graduation, culminating in their first-generation graduation pinning ceremony. During this ceremony, students choose someone significant in their educational journey to give them a Terrier F1RSTS pin.
“If you don’t have the infrastructure once the students arrive to be able to support them properly, all of that recruitment doesn’t do any good,” Erb emphasized. “We want them to have a comparable experience to continuing generation students.”
The center focuses on ensuring access to enriching opportunities such as study abroad programs, paid internships, and programming from their community partners like Aspire Institute.
Partnering with Aspire: Expanding Global Opportunities
Since the partnership began in 2022, more than 85 Boston University students have applied to the Aspire Leaders Program.
“For first gen students, networking is one of the hardest things, because we don’t come with a network,” Erb explained. “For students to go through Aspire, and to now be part of this group who are worldwide, is just really opening up the world to our first-gen students.”
This collaboration continues to grow, with a couple of Boston University students completing internships with Aspire. The partnership enables students to build global connections while developing professional skills and leadership capabilities, and we are excited to see it continue to grow.
Looking Forward: Advice and Future Impact
For current first-generation students, both leaders offered powerful guidance drawn from experience.
“Put the ask out there,” Damm advised. “I wasted so much time and spun my wheels so consistently, because I didn’t know that there were people out there to help me, and I was scared to be seen as someone who couldn’t do it themselves.”
Erb echoed this and added a boost of confidence for anyone feeling a sense of imposter syndrome.
“It’s okay to feel uncomfortable [and] to get out of your comfort zone,” Erb emphasized. “If you’re asked to do something, it’s because people believe that you are worthy, and that you have the skills and ability.”
The partnership between Boston University’s Newbury Center and Aspire Institute demonstrates how collaborative efforts can amplify support for first-generation students, creating ripple effects globally. Through our shared commitment to empowering first-generation students, we continue working together to transform individual lives and communities through advising, mentorship, community building, and global connections.
