FG is Helping Students Become First-Generation College Graduates

Danielle Riberio from Great.com interviewed First Graduate as part of their ‘Great.com Talks With…’ podcast. This series is an antidote to negative news stories that aims to shed light on organizations and experts whose work is making a positive impact on the world.

Solving the career opportunity gap is no easy task. Not only do we need to find ways to get people to go to college, but we also must prepare students and help them acquire the necessary skills. What’s even worse is that private colleges are expensive. So many families rely on the public education system, which is faulty and unequal at best. That’s why in this episode, Danielle talked with Terri Forman, Executive Director at First Graduate.

We are a nonprofit organization that helps students become first-generation college graduates. By doing so, these students are ready to pursue careers that are meaningful to them. Our organization helps students graduate from middle school all the way to college. We help students in three ways. We prepare middle school students to continue their education through high school and high school students through college, and we help college students explore potential career pathways.

Becoming a First-Generation College Graduate

A college degree opens numerous career opportunities. One way to solve the career opportunity gap is to encourage students to pursue a bachelor’s degree. If they’re successful, they become first-generation students that have graduated from college.

So far, First Graduate® has helped more than 600 students in San Francisco to access college, with 75% of applicants graduating within six years.

Great.com is an organization aimed at solving the world’s most dire problem — global climate change. Starting in New Jersey, their mission is to take money from an otherwise harmful and greedy industry (online casinos) and move it towards a positive and good cause (solving the climate crisis). In addition to directly donating 100% of the revenue they earn in the casino industry, they also launch and manage fundraising campaigns to persuade casino entrepreneurs to donate. So far, they’ve generated over $2 million for climate research through their own donations and proceeds from their fundraising initiatives

 

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