Samuel Delorme

Samuel Delorme has faced a variety of challenges to get to where he is today as a junior studying Accounting at Western Connecticut State University. His success in overcoming these obstacles made him a good choice to talk to fellow first-generation students recently about how to keep moving forward despite any adversity.

Delorme grew up in Haiti, where he graduated from Saint Louis de Gonzague High School in 2019. After graduation, he came to the U.S. to visit his mother as he did every year. Once here, his mother persuaded him to stay. “Due to the political instability in my country, my mom decided to make me stay so that I could pursue a better education here,” Delorme said.

“That was a big change for me,” he continued. “I had to prepare for the SAT exam in three months in order to pass it if I wanted to start college in spring 2020. Thankfully, I had the score required to start at Norwalk Community College. My mom and I were struggling for the tuition because at that time I was an undocumented visa student, which put me as an out-of-state student.”

As Delorme worked to overcome these challenges, Covid appeared. “Three months later, while I was trying to acclimate myself to this new type of education, the quarantine period began and we were offered the choice to drop out or to move online for the rest of the semester. I chose to move online, acknowledging all the struggles that might bring to me; but I faced them, and then I took two more classes during the summer.”

Delorme admits it wasn’t easy. “It was difficult, because I was first gen, in quarantine, and not used to seeking help, which sometimes in my culture is a sign of weakness. During my last year in community college, my dad passed away in my country, and I was devastated because I couldn’t go back for the funeral. He was one of my sources of inspiration, and I almost dropped out, but I reminded myself why I was pursuing that degree and kept going.”

In December 2022, Delorme received his associate degree from NCC, and then had to consider his subsequent move. “My adviser was talking about what I was going to do next and advised me to register at WCSU because it was affordable for me and was the closest to my home, so there would be no need for me to relocate myself,” he said.

Once he arrived at WCSU, Delorme said, “As a first-gen student, I was afraid of seeking help, but all the clubs on campus, the advisers, they helped me fit in, The Tutoring Resource Center was where I started to hang out when I was struggling on my subjects. From there, I started to meet other students, and opportunities opened up to me. I got my job as a tutor, because I asked for help once and found out that helping people back was something that makes me happy.”

Delorme will graduate in 2025 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, “After my graduation in 2025, I would like to work for a Big Four accounting firm, get a Certified public accountant license, and help the community. Eventually, I would like to start a program to facilitate the transition for First-Generation students.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.