FG is Helping Students Become First-Generation College Graduates
First Graduate® has helped more than 600 students in San Francisco to access college, with 75% of applicants graduating within six years.
Alumni Spotlight: Alex Lazo
Alex grew up in a struggling San Francisco community. His school had poor test scores, and Alex and the other students had to deal with racism even within the school community.
Saying “no” to hate and racism
Dear Friends, First Graduate® has been active on Twitter because we believed that the platform was a good way to connect with our community–our students, our donors, our partners, and our volunteers. It has become clear lately that hate, racism, and sanctioned disinformation endanger the lives of people everywhere and we can not continue legitimizing
Alumni Spotlight: Leandro Guerrero
Born in Peru, Leandro moved to San Francisco as a child and attended Horace Mann Middle School and Lowell High School.
Leandro credits First Graduate® with teaching him valuable life skills, such as time management. He has fond memories of spending hours in the First Graduate® office, working with peers and staff to complete college applications ahead of school deadlines.
Another trauma inflicted on young people
Children and their families need to believe that school is a safe haven. We deplore the violence that has become all too commonplace in schools, and our hearts ache for the young people and adults targeted at Rudsdale Newcomer High School in Oakland. Violence anywhere is abhorrent. The prevalence of guns as a means to
Don’t be fooled, a college education is still the best way to break generational poverty
Take the example of Kara, a First Graduate® alumna who is the daughter of immigrant parents. She worked hard throughout middle and high school to make her parents proud and achieve her dream. Her goal was to get into a good college and pursue a prosperous professional career.
Career day with Nextroll
And a special thanks to Joe, Mark, and Matt for sharing for helping our middle school students to learn more about their professions and the skills needed to prepare for a career as a Product Manager, Computer Engineer, and Product Designer.
Accenture week of volunteer work with FG
These events are great opportunities for our corporate partners to invest in our community – and especially in our first-gen students, which are on a journey of 10- 12 years from middle school to after college graduation with First Graduate.
Thanks to Aurabel, Sarah, Marcela, Camille, Erika, Jacky, and Evelyn for the amazing work.
Summer college tour to San Jose State University
One of our goals in First Graduate® is to inspire and motivate our students to go to college. On June 22nd, 2022, we had the opportunity to do just that, and our FG high school students toured San Jose State University’s campus, talked to admission staff in order to better understand college life, and observe a teacher conducting a class.
Family Spotlight: Tamara Brown
Tamara ultimately connected with First Graduate® during the first few weeks of at-home learning.