Houston Matters

Programs Help First-Generation College Students Succeed

Almost one third of all U.S. undergraduate students are the first in their family to attend college. They’re called first-generation students, and they face a lot of challenges to reach college. Then, once they get on campus, they’re more likely to leave higher education. At the University of St. Thomas, there’s a group to support […]

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Almost one third of all U.S. undergraduate students are the first in their family to attend college. They're called first-generation students, and they face a lot of challenges to reach college. Then, once they get on campus, they're more likely to leave higher education.

At the University of St. Thomas, there's a group to support first-generation students. Carina Tlapanco and Carlos Garcia are both members of the group and sophomores at St. Thomas. They tell us what it's like to be "first gen." Then we hear from someone who was first-gen herself and who now helps fellow first-generation students as they navigate their way through college: Yolanda Norman, the founder and CEO of FirstGenCollege Consulting.

MORE: First Generation Student: ‘We Carry A Different Weight On Our Shoulders’ (News 88.7, Dec. 1, 2014)

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Michael Hagerty

Michael Hagerty

Senior Producer, Houston Matters

Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. He's spent more than 20 years in public radio and television and dabbled in minor league baseball, spending four seasons as the public address announcer for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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