Faith Rabideau grew up in Wayland, watching her parents struggle financially. From a young age, her parents worked tirelessly to get ahead, but still, money was tight. With few job opportunities and no college degrees to fall back on, the family was stuck in a cycle of hardship —a cycle Rabideau is determined to break.

“My parents spent most of their time constantly at work trying to make ends meet,” she said. “My goal is to earn a nursing degree so I can live a stable life and not have to worry about paying my bills every month. I also don’t want to be married to my job; I want to be able to enjoy life.”

With motivation in spades, Rabideau chose to pursue her nursing degree at Davenport University. She began her studies in September as a proud first-generation student and is looking forward to the bright future her degree will provide.

Like most nurses, Rabideau chose the nursing profession because she has a deep desire to help people in their darkest hour.

“I’d like to work in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) because it will give me the opportunity to support families while they watch their child’s health improve under my care,” she said. 

So far, Rabideau is enjoying her time at Davenport. She commutes from Wayland to the W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus to attend classes, and appreciates the flexibility it gives her.

“I chose to continue my education at Davenport because it’s close to home and I’m able to bowl on the women’s varsity bowling team,” she said. “I love it at Davenport! The small campus size is perfect for me, and everyone is so nice. Overall, it’s just an amazing community.” 

One person, in particular, has been especially helpful to Rabideau, and that is Jodi Hicks, Davenport’s director of Student Transitions and Academic Readiness, and leader of the university’s First-Generation Initiative. “Professor Hicks has a way of making everyone feel special and heard,” she said.

Given the close-knit nature of the First-Generation program, it is easy for Hicks to get to know her students on a personal level. “Each of our students, like Faith, comes to Davenport with their own personal story,” said Hicks. “Helping them to ‘remember their why’ as they pursue their dreams is part of the small role I play in their academic journey.”

The First-Generation initiative comprises a peer mentoring program and an ACES class, a course specifically designed for first-generation students and the unique challenges they face. The class’ objective, and Hicks’ mission, is to help first-gen students navigate their first year of college and to return year after year, until they complete their degree.  

Rabideau finds the ACES class helpful, especially the sections that address self-discipline and those that offer tips on navigating difficult times as a first-generation student.“I also just met with my mentor a few weeks ago, and it was really nice to talk to someone who has been in my shoes,” she said. 

“It feels great to be a first-gen student, but it is a little stressful because I have the weight of my parents and their situation on my shoulders,” she said. “I’m the first one in my family to go to college, so I feel the need to do well.”

Rabideau is grateful for the first-generation program at Davenport and the support she receives from Hicks and her fellow first-generation students. “I moved out of my parents’ house when I was 17, so I didn’t have a parental figure to guide me through the process of starting college,” she said. “And now that I’m in college, I can’t really talk to them about things that are happening because they wouldn’t understand. That’s why it’s great to have Professor Hicks and the other first-gen students in my corner.”

As Rabideau works to complete her degree, she is breaking the poverty cycle in her family and can rest assured that she has a bright future ahead of her. She is on track to graduate from Davenport in 2029 with a bachelor’s in nursing, and can’t wait to begin her career as a NICU nurse.  

To learn more about Davenport’s First-Gen Initiative, click here.