Exploring the lived experience of the parents of first-generation college applicants in Jesuit secondary school environments. 

This presentation employs Best Interest of the Student model ( Stefkovich & O'Brien, 2004; Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2001) as it focuses on the  importance of engaging parents of first-generation students in the secondary educational experience of their student and what factors facilitate or impede that engagement. The application of the Best Interest of the Student in this process intersects with and echoes the Ignatian charism of cura personalis, highlighting the ethic of critique (Stefkovich & Shapiro, 2016).

About the Presenter

Dr. Gina Liberotti started at Loyola High School in 2012 after 15 years of college counseling helping teens and their families navigate the college discernment and application process. She earned her BA in Developmental Psychology, graduated with honors from UCSB and co-authored a published study on child abuse. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from UCLA, graduating with honors and publishing her Master’s Thesis. She has worked in several venues: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Consultant for the Pasadena Unified School District, family service agencies, Department of Children and Family Services-Child Abuse Unit and private practice- all serving teens and their families. She has earned several certificates including: Adolescent group treatment, College Counseling UCLA, and Crisis Intervention. She has enjoyed reading and evaluating freshman applications for UC Berkeley for six years. She co-created institutional support for First-Generation students and their families- CubsFirst! - and most recently earned her doctorate in Interdisciplinary Leadership, from Creighton University, Nebraska and publishing her dissertation; Lives Disrupted: Exploring and Understanding the Lived Experience of Parents/Guardians of First-Generation Students in a Jesuit High School Setting.

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