Fox Cities News

Muhammad Yunus, a junior at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO), recently shared an emotional moment with his parents, rice farmers in Indonesia, when he informed them of his induction into the national honor society for first-generation students. "They were in tears over FaceTime," Yunus said. He and 30 other UWO students were invited to join Tri-Alpha, the only national honors society for first-generation college students. "I wish I could find a proper word or vocabulary to describe how happy they were."

Cordelia Bowlus, McNair Program Director at UWO, described the Spring 2024 induction ceremony as a celebration not only for the students but also for their families and friends. “There are few things more rewarding than celebrating first-gen students’ success, and there is no better way to do it than through inducting new members into our Zeta Theta Chapter of the Tri-Alpha First-Generation College Honors Society,” Bowlus said.

To be invited to join Tri-Alpha, first-generation college students must have earned a minimum of 30 credits and maintained a GPA of 3.2 or higher. Students who sustain this GPA receive Tri-Alpha graduation cords during their final semester at UWO.

Bowlus and Lisa Arguello, coordinator of pre-college programs at UWO, established the Zeta Theta Chapter in fall 2022 to recognize high-achieving first-generation students. At UWO, more than 40 percent of the student population are first-generation students; so far, 145 have been inducted as members of Tri-Alpha.

Yunus hails from Mattoangin, Indonesia—a rural village with fewer than 500 residents—and is acutely aware of his parents' sacrifices for his education. "They’ve always believed in the transformative power of education," said Yunus, who is majoring in finance. His father completed high school while his mother finished junior high school. They sent him to Makassar, a city 100 miles away when he was just 13 years old.

Yunus had long aspired to study in America and applied annually for seven years to the Community College Initiative program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. He eventually attended Fox Valley Technical College and earned a technical diploma in business management.

After returning to Indonesia due to visa limitations but still dreaming of earning a four-year degree in the United States, Yunus met retired educator Mark Janssen at a volunteer event during his time in America. Janssen decided to become Yunus' host family and student visa sponsor.

However, financing his return posed significant challenges. "When my host family texted me about coming back to the U.S., I shared that information with my parents and my mom said ‘no’ right away because they did not have money to support me flying back," Yunus recounted.

His father quietly decided they would sell one of their two family cows for $930—enough for a one-way ticket back to the United States in August 2022—a sum representing seven-to-eight months' living expenses for them. "My dad told me never come back until I get my degree because the ticket was expensive," Yunus said with a laugh.

This year’s Tri-Alpha inductees include Jason Adams, Brianna Bougie, Brookelyn Coan among others including Muhammad Yunus himself.

Graduating members from various disciplines include Rachel Bautz (social work), Kaleigh Baxter (nursing), Blanca M. Blancarte (social work), Ashton Campbell (nursing) among others.

Emily Marie Colon was named an honorary inductee.