By Sloane Barlow
Picture this: you’re a first-generation college student, the first in your family to attend – and ultimately complete – college or university.
You step onto Michigan State’s expansive campus for the first time to navigate class schedules, complex assignments, and cutting-edge research opportunities without past knowledge from family members. You are searching for a trustworthy resource to guide you along this unfamiliar path. For Jeannette Dompreh, that resource was the Academic Scholars Program (ASP).
ASP is designed as a track for incoming first-year students toward Honors College admission. It is a support program intended to connect Pell-eligible and first-generation students with enriched academic experiences and help with their transition to MSU.
“For many, ASP is the beginning of a journey marked by leadership, academic excellence, and deep engagement in the Honors College and beyond,” said Erika Crews, ASP Advisor and Honors College Director of Student Success & Community Engagement.
ASP leader Jeanette Dompreh, a recent graduate of the Honors College and the College of Social Science, joined the program as an international and first-generation student.
Dompreh was born in Accra, Ghana and grew up on the South Side of Chicago – both experiences and elements of her identity that affected her transition to MSU.
“I didn’t always see people who looked like me in academic spaces like this,” Dompreh said. “ASP gave me the support and sense of belonging I needed, and it reminded me that I deserved to be here just as much as anyone else.”
One moment Dompreh is especially proud of from her ASP journey is serving as an Undergraduate Learning Assistant for the Summer Accelerating Connections & Excellence (ACE) Program, an opportunity for first-year ASP students to ease into college life.
“It meant a lot to me to give back to a program that’s supported me from the start, and it was especially meaningful to connect with the incoming ASP cohort and help build that sense of community,” Dompreh said.
She quickly became an integral part of the Honors College and ASP communities. Dompreh served as secretary for the First-Generation Honors Association, and as vice president and internal events coordinator for the Academic Scholars Program Advisory Council (ASPAC).
“Jeanette worked to create a welcoming space for first-generation college students in the Academic Scholars Program and Honors College community,” said Cheyenne Marchand, ASPAC co-president and fellow Honors student.
“Her enthusiasm and passion for her first-generation identity shines bright in her commitment to creating a space for first-gen voices,” Marchand said.
ASP member Grey Richardson fondly recalls her first meeting with Dompreh.
“I was a member of ASP being driven in a van with my friends to a pumpkin patch event,” Richardson said.
She laughed, remembering Marchand driving the van while Dompreh gave poor directions. In the shuffle of missed turns, “Jeanette passionately talked about her grandparents. Her deep care for people is the first thing I learned about her,” Richardson said.
Dompreh was also a recipient of the Pride Scholarship, a prestigious Honors College award created by an alumna of the Honors College.
Now, with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Dompreh is continuing her journey at MSU this fall to obtain her master’s degree in human resources and labor relations.
“I’m grateful for the way ASP has shaped my experience here – it gave me a community, a support system, and the confidence to keep pushing forward,” Dompreh said.
ASP has over a decade of success providing Pell-eligible and first-generation students an additional pathway for admission to the Honors College. To learn how to get involved with the program, contact Tonya Frisbey at frisbey2@msu.edu.