# @usc_upstate on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DBSBAjOMyk6
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/76788624-usc-upstate-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/ad1f471983.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-10-18T22:01:16.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** USC Upstate (@usc_upstate) — https://gondola.cc/usc_upstate

## Caption

✨ Upstate Magazine Highlight: Wren Bareiss, professor of communication, knows firsthand the challenges and resilience it takes to navigate higher education as a first-gen student. ✨

💼  After working in the real world for a few years, Wren found his passion for anthropology and returned to school determined to pursue a degree. His journey took him from his job on the factory floor to a Ph.D., with stops along the way at the University of New Mexico, University of Pennsylvania, and Indiana University.

📚 Wren emphasizes the unique strengths first-gen students bring, saying, “Working class/first-generation college students are strong, resilient, and resourceful. The problem is, they don’t always realize it.” 

🍎 He reminds students that it’s okay to fail, sharing how a focus on improvement helps keep them motivated, which is a reason to celebrate the resilience and determination that first-gen students and faculty exhibit on a daily basis.

🎓  Learn more about his story and impact at USC Upstate in the Spring 2024 issue of Upstate Alumni & Friends Magazine! (Link in bio) 🙌

#HigherEd #Inspiration #Education #USCUpstate #StudentSuccess #Mentorship #UpstateBound #Highlights #SpartanburgSC #HigherEducation #FirstGeneration #Inspiration

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## Credits

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## Tags

inspiration, firstgeneration, upstatebound, education, uscupstate, spartanburgsc, highered, mentorship, highereducation, studentsuccess, highlights

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