First-generation college student Ethan Harden originally heard about Rose-Hulman from his father. Rose was Harden’s dad’s first choice for college. However, due to an enrollment issue, his dad was not able to finish high school in the traditional way and earned his GED instead. Knowing how his father was not able to fulfill his goal of attending Rose, Harden decided he wanted to attend the Institute. After his first visit to campus, he knew it was the school for him. 

“On my tour of the Rose campus, we went to the BIC [Branam Innovation Center] and KIC [Kremer Innovation Center] and I saw the array of 3D printers and I was wowed,” said Harden, a sophomore majoring in computer science. It was at that moment that he knew Rose was the college for him. He also loves that the Institute is small enough to have a more personalized class experience and to get to know professors and fellow students.

Originally from Ladoga, Indiana, Harden is the first in his family to attend college. He believes that by him attending Rose, he is having an impact on his younger brother and sister — motivating them to think about higher education for themselves.

Harden applied for—and received—a $4,000 Realizing the Dream scholarship. The scholarship is offered to first-generation Indiana college students by Independent Colleges of Indiana, through Lilly Endowment Inc. support. Students were selected based on their outstanding achievement during the first year at their colleges or universities.  

“Money has been a big issue for me because college is expensive,” said Harden. “This scholarship will allow me to continue my education with some of the financial burden removed.”

Being a first-generation college student has not always been easy. Being from a small high school with a graduating class of 100 people, Harden did not receive much in the way of college counseling or help with applying to schools. At Rose, he’s noticed that he is among a small community of those that are first-generation students. 

“Sometimes people will talk about how it was when their parents were in college and I tell them that my parents didn’t go to college,” said Harden. “Sometimes I show my parents things I’m working on at school and they’re surprised at the level of work.”

At Rose, Harden works as a teacher’s assistant for Assistant Professor Ian Ludden’s object-oriented software development class. He has also been involved in the RoboMaster Team since his first year on campus.

Harden is still unsure where his post-college future will take him, but he knows it will involve computer science in the areas of teaching, robotics or game development. Whatever path he decides on, he is confident his Rose-Hulman education will help him find a career he’ll enjoy.