“People don’t realize what it means to be a first-generation college student, and why it is nothing short of a tremendous accomplishment,” says the double major in health science and psychology, who serves as president and a peer mentor for Bridging 1st Generation Students (B1GS) on campus.
According to the Pine Hill resident, financial instability is just one of the many challenges that these students face – and she is set on doing her part to change that.
In spring 2017, McCrea created the Rutgers University–Camden Lending Library, a repository of donated textbooks which can be borrowed by B1GS students, as well as those enrolled in EOF, TRiO or Student Success. The program goes a long way to supplement other available programs on campus, such as the Rutgers Open Affordable Textbooks program.
“The financial aspect of this whole journey is one of the most prominent issues that we first generation students face,” says McCrea, “and the lack of accessibility to books is one of the biggest problems that I see.”
EndFragment