By Alex Landolfi
College of Southern Nevada student Cassidy Alcorn is first in her family to pursue a higher education.
Alcorn is a sophomore pursuing a degree in visual arts. Ever since she was in middle school, she had a passion for art. “I knew in high school that I wanted to be an artist for the rest of my life and pursue it in college,” Alcorn said. “Going to the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts had a big influence on me.”
Alcorn said, “I am tremendously passionate about my art. I continue to pursue my art because not only can I not stop creating, it feels as if art has improved me being human.”
Alcorn enrolled at CSN in fall 2022, making her the first in her family to attend college. The process of adjusting to college is a difficult one for many first-generation college students, though Alcorn had a lot of success in her first few semesters.
“I wanted to improve my technical and creative skills,” Alcorn said. “I knew it would be too stressful to do so alone. Guidance by other artists is what I needed.”
“I had a bit of a rough time adjusting to college assignments and deadlines, but my first (part) of college has been nice and full of experiences I can use in the future,” Alcorn said.
Alcorn knows school will help her succeed.
Alcorn said, “It is important. It gives you a better chance in the world when it comes to jobs and opportunities. Also, because eventually when you have kids, you want to be able to guide them through the process and keep passing on the trait of going to college.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Career Outlook report dated June 2021 on numbers from 2020, “Even in the best of economic times, data show that workers who have higher levels of education typically earn more and have lower rates of unemployment compared with workers who have less education. For example, workers with a bachelor’s degree had median weekly earnings of $1,305 in 2020, compared with $781 for workers with a high school diploma. And the unemployment rate for bachelor’s-level workers was 5.5%, compared with 9% for those whose highest level of education was a high school diploma.”
According to bestcolleges.com, among students who are first generation college students, roughly 27% continue to graduate. The number skyrockets to 60% if they at least had one college-educated parent and 82% if both of parents were college educated.
Alcorn’s mom, Alexandra Clayton, said, “Cassidy is a very creative, loyal, and shy person who is very passionate about her work. Completing college would make me very proud of her, knowing she would have the education to carry herself through life’s obstacles.”
“Cassidy made me extremely proud when she displayed her art at an exhibit at the North Las Vegas campus last year and has another one coming up this week, which I am looking forward to,” Clayton added.
Her sister, Faith Alcorn, said, “Cassidy takes her time on all her paintings and is obsessed with getting every detail just right. She is always impressing me with her artwork and her passion for art.”
Alcorn has another year at CSN to earn an associate degree in visual arts. “After finishing my Associate degree in visual arts, I want to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Then I plan to earn my Master of Fine Arts degree from an out-of-state university, away from Las Vegas, so I can experience different cultures.”
Alcorn’s advice for first-generation college students, “Believe in yourself and always know it is okay to ask for help. I often just tried to figure things out on my own when my classes got tough, but eventually I learned that the professor is always willing to help you as long as you ask, and you are making an effort to improve.”
Coyote Student News at the College of Southern Nevada 