Meet Lynna and Valerie – the new co-presidents of First-Gens@Brown! We met with them last Sunday to discuss their experiences with the group & any advice they might have for students who are struggling to adjust to life at Brown. 

Valerie Castro (’20)

Why did you decide to run for eboard positions?
“I was really interested in continuing to be involved with the group, in having a main position. Last year, it was nice to talk to Amy, talk to Ashley, so I wanted to continue being involved and I thought one way to do that was to know what’s going on behind the scenes.”

Lynna Ngo (’21)

Why did you decide to run for eboard positions?
“I think coming as a first year on campus, there can be a lot of challenges. Not only readjusting to Brown, learning how the college system works without having parents to guide you, and I think going to FG@B provided a community and direction, not only for myself, but for other students who are learning how to navigate Brown, and I thought it was a great community space.”

What would you tell someone who is thinking of joining but hasn’t gotten involved yet?
V: If you’re curious, you can either talk to one of us or you can show up to meetings at any point during the semester, whether you’ve been here for a week or you’re a senior, you’re completely welcome to come a meeting to see what we’re all about.

L: If you are looking to make new friends and build a community space, come join – we welcome people no matter how involved you want to be with the FLi or First-Gens@Brown community. Come check it out to see how it is, learn about the resources, and connect with friends.

Advice for first-years struggling to adjust to life at Brown?
V: Based on my personal experiences, I’ve found that joining clubs and not being by myself all the time was really helpful. When I struggle, I tend to isolate myself. Once I started having the confidence to go to clubs by myself and meet a bunch of new people, go to different events, it was a place to find other people that were struggling like to me and it’s easier to overcome them when you have support.

L: Take advantage of campus resources, whether it means going to tutoring, going to CAPS, talking to Dean Elie about financial support  — don’t be afraid to ask for help, because Brown has the resources, you just have to go and utilize them.