Tina Tao

Tina Tao, Executive Director for Advising, Retention, and Student Success 

Hi, I’m Tina and I am a first-generation college student! I came to St. Lawrence University in the fall of 2012, teaching general chemistry labs and in the First-Year Program. In September 2015, I joined the Academic Advising team.

I grew up in Lancaster County, PA. My parents and two older sisters were refugees from Vietnam and arrived in the US two years before I was born. My sisters and I all went to college but only I went to a small liberal arts institution (Gettysburg College). When deciding where to go to college, all I knew was I wanted a tight-knit community where I could be involved in music and the sciences. Although I could have asked my sisters for advice, I found that their experiences were a lot different from mine, so even though I had two siblings who had college experience, it was hard for me to find the support specific to me.

I went into college thinking of doing a pre-med track because as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a doctor. However, I didn’t know that I should have taken biology along with chemistry in my first year of college, so I felt somewhat trapped. I also felt like everyone around me had everything figured out and when I was struggling (especially in organic chemistry!), I didn’t know how or who to ask for help. I thought that I had to do everything on my own. Eventually, I found a lot of passion studying chemistry and decided only major in it, but eventually go to graduate school.

I went to the University of Delaware for chemistry, intending to earn a PhD. But partway through my third year, I struggled with my identity as a scientist. I figured out that I wasn’t interested in studying chemistry, but I was more passionate about teaching and supporting students. I made a tough decision to leave the program but earned a Master’s degree and went to become the organic chemistry lab coordinator at York College of PA for four years before moving to Canton, NY.

Being resilient during difficult times is a characteristic that I attribute to being a first-gen student. Going to a liberal arts college gave me the desire to never stop learning and has propelled me to achieve my goal of earning a doctorate. In February 2021, I defended my dissertation, "Metacognition and First-Year College Success: Understanding the Experiences of the Underrepresented in STEM" to earn my EdD at Northeastern University in Higher Education Administration. My advice to first-gen students is not to assume you are alone. You have peers, faculty, and staff who know what it’s like being the first to go to college and probably have experienced the same challenges and successes you have. If you ever need to chat, I and my dog, Chompsky, are always here for you!