{"id":14834,"date":"2026-05-01T10:36:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/?p=14834"},"modified":"2026-05-01T10:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:36:37","slug":"first-generation-story-elizabeth-deegan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/first-generation-story-elizabeth-deegan\/","title":{"rendered":"Goodwin’s First-Generation Stories \u2014 Elizabeth Deegan"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Elizabeth Deegan, First-Year Dental Hygiene Clinical Coordinator<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I am proud to identify as a first-generation college student.<\/p>\n

I was the first person in my family to complete a bachelor\u2019s degree, with the intention of moving directly into my master\u2019s program. Unfortunately, life had another plan. After a sideline, I was fortunate to begin working in the Dental Hygiene program as an adjunct, where my love of teaching blossomed under the guidance of an exceptional program director.<\/p>\n

Inspired by that experience, I applied to the MPH program and was on my way to greater success, with both personal and professional growth. Completing my master\u2019s degree at Goodwin was truly a lifelong dream come true. That milestone not only fulfilled a personal goal but also opened the door for me to give back in a meaningful way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, I have the privilege of teaching dental hygiene \u2014 a profession I am deeply passionate about. I am grateful every day that my journey allows me to support and inspire students as they discover their own paths, just as I once did.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Elizabeth Deegan, First-Year Dental Hygiene Clinical Coordinator I am proud to identify as a first-generation college student. I was the first person in my family to complete a bachelor\u2019s degree, with the intention of moving directly into my master\u2019s … Continue reading Goodwin’s First-Generation Stories \u2014 Elizabeth Deegan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":14835,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1079,1066],"tags":[1222,219,1212,1211,1092,980,869,844],"class_list":{"0":"post-14834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-academics","8":"category-healthcare","9":"tag-associate-degree-in-dental-hygiene","10":"tag-dental-hygiene","11":"tag-first-generation","12":"tag-first-generation-story","13":"tag-first-generation-students","14":"tag-first-generation-college-students","15":"tag-masters-degree-in-public-health","16":"tag-masters-in-public-health","18":"fallback-thumbnail"},"yoast_head":"\nFirst 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