SoCal College Knowledge Tour

While our high school seniors were making their college choices earlier this month, our freshmen, sophomores, and juniors were busy cramming into vans and running up and down the California coast doing college tours. The purpose was to give our students a better idea of what campus life is really like, let them meet and chat with admissions staff, and figure out what kind of college and college experience is right for them.

Beyond the collective wisdom of the First Graduate® College Prep Team, our students were lucky enough to be able to meet with First Graduate® students who were currently working towards their college degrees as various schools along the way.

In all the students visited eight schools in five days, including: Cal Poly Pomona, Pitzer College, Whittier College, Occidental College, CSU Long Beach, UC San Diego, UC Merced, and UCLA.

We asked students to give us their feedback on the trip and here are a few of our favorites:

“I really enjoyed getting to ask the colleges questions, and asking them directly, compared to having to Google them. I also enjoyed being able to mix and bond with the other FG cohorts. It truly was an amazing trip and opened my eyes for what I have to start doing in order to be a strong college candidate.” – 9th grader

“Before this trip, I was completely clueless about what college I want to go to. This trip opened my eyes to the types of things I would want in a college: the environment, class sizes, and lifestyle. I gained a lot of valuable experience and knowledge I have never known before. I now have a goal to work towards, thanks to this trip.” – 10th grader

“The trip has impacted my motivation immensely. If I act upon tiny changes in my academics now and make them habits then I know college won’t be hard for me to get into. This trip really put me in perspective for the things that I will be needing to do.” – 9th grader

“I’m pumped for college already.” – 11th grader

Stay Connected

More Updates

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.