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The way-shower: First-gen student seeks to ease the path for STEM peers

Devani Mahabir helps fellow Bearcats navigate ‘transfer shock’ and succeed in a new academic environment

Transfer student Devani Mahabir, a senior chemistry major, is developing modules and workshops to help students feel comfortable in a lab setting. She is pictured here at the Student Success Suite in the Appalachian Collegiate Center, March 24, 2023. Transfer student Devani Mahabir, a senior chemistry major, is developing modules and workshops to help students feel comfortable in a lab setting. She is pictured here at the Student Success Suite in the Appalachian Collegiate Center, March 24, 2023.
Transfer student Devani Mahabir, a senior chemistry major, is developing modules and workshops to help students feel comfortable in a lab setting. She is pictured here at the Student Success Suite in the Appalachian Collegiate Center, March 24, 2023. Image Credit: Jonathan Cohen.
By Jennifer Micale
March 28, 2023
2 minute read

In her first chemistry lab, Devani Mahabir held a beaker with shaking hands.

A transfer student from Queensborough Community College, she felt nervous and out of place. After all, the coronavirus pandemic had thwarted opportunities for in-person lab work earlier in her college career.

Now a senior, the chemistry major struggled during her first semester at Binghamton University.

“Transfer shock is real,” she said. “I didn’t know about the resources that are available and I felt a bit isolated.”

A first-generation college student born in Guyana, she’s made it her mission to help other first-generation and transfer students make the transition to Bearcat country. With chemistry instructor Clarice Kelleher, Mahabir is developing modules and workshops to help other transfer students feel comfortable working in a lab.

An education minor, Mahabir is also a peer mentor in the Success Coaching program, meeting one-on-one with students to hone study skills, time management techniques and more. Mahabir draws on her own experience as a student to share success tips, she said.

“Sometimes, you can be academically smart but not have the right resources and skills, which is why I am so appreciative of what that office does,” she said.

Mahabir is also president of the transfer student honor society Tau Sigma, and a tutor in organic chemistry, her favorite subject. Through Tau Sigma, she received a $3,000 scholarship that will help her achieve her next step: graduate school at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she’s planning to focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education research.

Reaching out to Transfer Student Services, participating in events, and becoming involved with campus clubs and organizations gave Mahabir the boost she needed to overcome transfer shock, noted Michael Henningsen, assistant director of Transfer Year Success and Programming.

“Now, as a peer success coach, president of Tau Sigma and an active transfer student, she continues to help other students overcome their own transfer shock and get acclimated to the Binghamton University community,” he said.

While her initial semester was a little bumpy, Mahabir said Binghamton has bolstered her confidence and gave her the opportunity to discover her true passion in STEM education. She has some advice for fellow transfer students: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Professors also have office hours; use them to build a working relationship.

“I like to say ‘thank you’ to my professors at the end of the semester,” she said. “It means a lot if you show your appreciation.”