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Enrollment practitioners can learn important lessons from first-generation students who successfully navigated the path to college, lessons that enable them to tailor outreach efforts to this important population. A study by one of the authors (Holliday 2020) explored the identity of first-generation students as the deciders, or the primary decision-makers in their college-going journey. The authors expand on those findings, providing recommendations enabling higher education institutions of all types to expand first-generation access.

Chrissy Holliday, Ph.D., is the Senior System Liaison for Rural Education and Workforce Development Initiatives at Colorado State University Pueblo. She earned her Ph.D. in higher education leadership from Colorado State University in 2020 and
holds a master’s degree in education from Capella University and a bachelor’s degree in mass communication/print media from Campbell University. Her research interests focus on college access and affordability, college-going culture, and first-generation student challenges. Her published articles to date have focused on research related to first-generation college-going culture, which applies directly to her work as a university administrator focused on enrollment and access.

Sharon K. Anderson, Ph.D., is Professor of Counseling and Career Development at Colorado State University. In 1993, Anderson earned her Ph.D. from the University of Denver in counseling psychology. She became a licensed psychologist in 1995. Her
experience as a practitioner includes: private practice with adults and the elderly, supervision of master’s level students and those seeking licensure, and consultation regarding ethical issues in practice. Anderson has taught the master’s level
ethics course for counseling students for more than 25 years, teaching and mentoring a multitude of students. She has co-authored or co-edited other ethics books used by psychologists (Foundations of Ethical Practice, Research and Teaching in
Psychology and Counseling
) and life coaches (Law and Ethics in Coaching: How to Solve and Avoid Difficult Problems in Your Practice). She has contributed to more than 50 publications including books, book chapters, and refereed
articles, most of them looking at the practice of professional ethics, teaching ethics, and issues of privilege.

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