Like many first-generation college students, criminal justice major and senior Gabriela Roggy felt compelled to attend college and do well to make her parents’ hard work and sacrifices worth it.
After applying and being accepted to the McNair Scholars Program as a sophomore and with the support of program coordinator Sarah Ritter, Roggy found passions for learning and developing as a student, and now she is finishing college for herself with her own ambitions for the future.
“Through my internships at Faces of Hope and the Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program, I have found great interest in working with marginalized and vulnerable populations,” said Roggy. “My goals are to get my master in sociology and eventually go to law school so that I can devote myself to representing disadvantaged populations within the criminal justice system.”
Meet Gabriela Roggy
Through the McNair Scholars Program, Gabriela Roggy found her passion for justice, the internal drive to pursue a master degree and, ultimately, a law degree after she graduates from Boise State with a bachelor degree in criminal justice and minor in sociology next spring.
The McNair Scholars Program aims to increase the number of university students from working-class and underrepresented backgrounds in the doctoral and advanced degree pipeline.
Gabriela Roggy
Gabriela Roggy grew up in a large, diverse city so coming to Boise State was an adjustment for Roggy, who is half-Peruvian.
“I had some difficulties adjusting and making friends at a predominantly white university,” said Roggy. “Due to these feelings and the current social and political environment (in the United States) I have recognized how intricate social inequalities are that are woven within systems of society, even in education and campus life.”
Her perspective and observations about campus life prompted Roggy to get involved and take up advocacy on campus through the Honors College Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Board, and she is a representative for her sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha, on the Greek Life Inclusion and Equity Committee.
“I feel that education opens doors as it does bring forth opportunities and helps people grow,” said Roggy. “Education offers people the ability to learn to think critically, question, and make their own educated judgements.”
November 9th – 13th is First-Generation College Celebration week. The Center for Multicultural Educational Opportunities, housed in the College of Education, includes a variety of programs that support first-generation college students.