First-Gen Alumna’s Full Circle Story

Jakora Thompson builds on her experience to support students as director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center

In the 1990s, Jakora Thompson was captivated by TV shows like A Different World, Moesha and Saved by the Bell that focused on teen characters who prioritized college.

But many of her classmates in Asbury Park went straight from high school into low-paying jobs without exploring higher education.

"I always knew I wanted to go to college because I wanted to change my circumstances," said Thompson, whose journey as a first-generation college student started at Rutgers in 2003. "I had to do everything on my own. My parents didn't go to college, and I was an only child raised by my grandmother, who also didn't go to college. So, there was a generational gap as well."

Today, with three degrees, including two earned at Rutgers, Thompson directs the Paul Robeson Cultural Center (PRCC) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. In that student-facing role, she is still guided by those early first-gen experiences - like finding her first community in Mettler Hall's Paul Robeson Special Interest Floor, an early living-learning group that helped keep her grounded.

"It helped having people to talk with about what I was going through. I couldn't talk to my parents about struggling in a course or how challenging it was managing my time while I was working part time," she said. "Having a sense of community helped fill in the gaps for me. We took classes together, shared notes and talked through our decisions together. It was the first time I didn't feel alone in my pursuits."

Being bolstered by that support system gave Thompson the courage to lean into academic resources, internship opportunities and mentorships that, ultimately, changed the course of her academic and professional career.

"I remember I came to college wanting to be a lawyer. I'll never forget taking 'Intro to Sociology,' and talking to a TA (teaching assistant), who asked, 'What do you want to do if you don't go to law school?'" she recalled. "Looking back, it set me down a path to explore what I really want to do."

After graduating in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in journalism and media studies, Thompson freelanced as a blogger for CNN while working part-time in Rutgers' financial aid office before heading to New York University, where she earned a master's degree in higher education and student affairs in 2013.

"When I decided to pursue my master's, I wanted to put myself in a position to help students like myself," said Thompson, who got her chance to do just that in 2013 when she returned to Rutgers to work in the former office of Student Access & Educational Equity, after some encouragement from a mentor.

In that capacity, she provided pre-college and academic advising, personal counseling and financial support to Upward Bound and McNair scholars. Both are federally funded programs designed to encourage first-generation students to enter college and pursue post post-graduate degrees.

Later, she joined PRCC as the director of planning and operations for Student Access and Educational Equity before becoming the center's director in 2020.

Founded in 1969, the PRCC is considered the first Black cultural center on a U.S. college campus. It provides a space for students and staff to engage with Black history, celebrate Black culture, and address social justice issues.

"Creating communities for first-gen students in my first roles at Rutgers created a catalyst for what I'm doing at the center," Thompson said. "No matter what identities you hold when you come to Rutgers, you are still trying to make sense of yourself here. It can be an overwhelming experience, regardless."

That's why Thompson makes it her mission to connect every student who comes through her door with the events, programs and networks that helped her flourish as a student - from an undergrad in 2003 to a doctoral grad at Rutgers in 2021.

After experiencing higher education as both a first-gen student and advocate, Thompson said she wishes more people understood the strengths first-gen students bring to college and the positive ripple effects they have on their communities when they return home.

"There's a resiliency first-gen students have, not just to get into Rutgers, but to navigate an often-complex environment on their own. They bring a lot of cultural wealth and energy to this campus because of their sense of responsibility to be globally engaged," she said. "They are involved in giving back to their communities and want to make Rutgers a better place for the students who come after them. There is an innate kindness, humanity and resilience. They see the gaps you don't see. And how we can make this experience better for everyone."