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The FIRST@DU team brings a shared dedication to ensuring first-generation college students achieve success at DU. Through pre-college and college student success programs, enrichment funds, and more, we strive to create opportunities for students to build community, make the most of their college experience, and succeed.
Meet the FIRST@DU Team
Angela (Angie) VanDijk, EdD (She/Her)
Senior Director
Angela.Vandijk@du.edu
Dr. Angie VanDijk has over twenty years of experience in higher education including teaching, coaching, and advising roles at the University of Utah, CUNY's Hunter College, Columbia University, and the University of Colorado Denver. She earned a Doctorate in Education at the University of Colorado and is a former Robert B. Sturm Mountain States Leadership Fellow. Her research interest is in spatial and ecological systems theories - observing where college students study and analyzing how such environments impact learning, identity, sense of belonging, and academic success. Outside of higher education, Dr. Angie serves as a Planning Commissioner for Commerce City and is a former member of the Commerce City Cultural Council. A certified yoga instructor, MBTI practitioner, and academic coach, Dr. Angie lives in Commerce City, Colorado with her firefighter husband and teenage son.
Dong Dinh, EdD (He/Him/His)
Director, First-Generation Experience
Dong.Dinh@du.edu
Dr. Dong Dinh graduated from DU with both his MA and EdD in Higher Education. He identifies as a queer Vietnamese American and concentrates his research and expertise in supporting historically underrepresented students with a specialty focus on Asian American and first generation populations. He is an avid adventurer and coaches a Dragon boat team in Denver with his free time.
Jully Dong, MA (She/Her/她)
Program Coordinator, First-Generation Experience
Jully.Dong@du.edu
Jully Dong serves as the Program Coordinator for First-Generation Experience. Her role on the team is to create programming for all first-generation students at DU. Jully received her bachelor's from Florida State University in Asian Studies with an Emphasis in Business and her master's from University of Denver in Higher Education. As the daughter of two Chinese immigrants, she is passionate about the first-generation student experience, Critical Race Theory and its role in Higher Education for students of color, as well as the experiences of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) college students.