First Generation Summit 2019

Convening the first collaborative First Generation College Summit—a partnership between First Graduate, SEO Scholars, and the University of San Francisco. This joint effort took six months in to plan. 150 high school freshmen and sophomores and their parents visited USF on Saturday, May 25, to learn what the college experience can be like.

We had a good amount of folks show up and the building was still intact when we left, though a student did leave their glasses.More than an event, it was the sum of different parts that needed to work together to make over 130 people feel like they were part of something special, big, and important. It was our first time doing something like this, but we tried it and are willing to try again.

Thank you to Ann, Jose, Terri, Jayda, B, FG Seniors Elaine and Betty, Yinia of FG 11 and Karina for filling in the gaps and supporting our students and families. Also big thanks to SEO!

volunteers at First Gen Summit

What we’ve accomplished so far…

We’ve strengthened our collaboration with SEO Scholars to increase the impact we sought through the creation of this event.

We’ve made connections to the admissions department at USF in hopes of continuing that relationship for future programming and considerations.

We created an all day summit for first generation students that included two workshops for students, two workshops for families, and a first generation college tour for everyone. Presentations were available in English, Spanish, and Cantonese.

Big shout outs to:

TAMMY: Thank you for working with me to make a coherent registration process, cutting over one million cards for a 45min workshop, living your best life, and always being available to bounce ideas off of.

~Michael Paz

AILEEN: Thanks for being a visionary and letting me work alongside you to make this event a reality. I feel so grateful to be able to work on this crazy thing with you. I don’t think I could’ve done this with anyone else and I don’t think we could’ve delivered the way we did without you. We needed you for this. Thank you.

~Michael Paz

MICHAEL: Way to wear those Silver Bullet 97s. I know you thought that morning they would show up just really cool in pictures because of the reflective material and you were right!

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First Graduate’s Alumni: Beating the Odds

All of this support-driven success is only possible because of the contributions from our donors. That’s why we’re offering you the opportunity to support our generation-changing organization with donations to our end-of-fiscal year campaign. Our goal is to raise $20,000 by the end of this month to sustain the positive impact we have on our First Graduate® students in a way that changes their lives forever.
Donate here!

Cap & Gown

To Everyone Who Attended Cap & Gown 2023: Thank You!

As we celebrate our newest graduates, remember that first-generation students can move from sixth grade through college graduation and into meaningful careers because of you and your support! And we couldn’t do it without the help of our corporate supporters: Hamilton Zanze, Dodge & Cox, Accenture, Adobe, KPMG, BSSP, Millennium Career Advantage, and GoodRx.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Despite how difficult they can be to get, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of scholarships. Especially for a first-generation student, a scholarship can be the difference between being able to go to college and not.