Safanya Searcy Became a First Generation College Student at 42
November 8, 2023
To mark a nationwide celebration of First Generation college students, Rutgers Today profiled students who are the first in their families to attend college. Among them is Rutgers-Newark student Safanya Searcy, 42, an Honors Living Learning Community (HLLC) student with two decades of experience as a public servant and political organizer.
Searcy, a student representative to the Board of Governors, was born and raised in Newark. Twenty years ago, she longed to attend college, but it seemed financially out of reach.
“I was raised by my grandmother who worked as a nursing assistant and raised myself and my younger brother on $30,000 a year,” she said. “I was not aware of the programs I could have applied to for assistance.”