Hover or click through to learn more about the first-generation UGA students who participated in our project. Some students have chosen not to be pictured and/or identified.

Destin*

 

"Both of my parents actually went to college but didn’t graduate. I am a first-generation student but I have two older sisters who attended college before me, so it wasn’t that big of a deal for me. I was able to ask them when I had questions and didn’t know what to do."

​

*The name of this individual has been changed to protect their privacy.

Maria

​

"I am the first in my family to go to college; I am a first-generation citizen. My parents came from Guatemala and neither of them went to school beyond primary. My mom stopped at seven and my dad stopped at ten. So I am the first one to really complete any type of education."

Matt

​

"I never really thought about being a first-generation student. I’ve always been more cognizant of my social class background and how dissimilar I felt to other students. My family was definitely aware of my first generation status and my mother, grandmother and aunt were extremely proud of me. They were very happy and probably more excited than I was when I graduated with my bachelor's degree."

Rachel*

 

"My parents are immigrants; my sister and I were both born here. My father did not go to school, he went to the Coast Guard, and my mother went to college in Puerto Rico."

​

*The name of this individual has been changed to protect their privacy.

Sean*

​

"I have two older siblings and they have also gone to college, but my parents have not gone to a four-year institution within the U.S., or even outside of the U.S."

​

*The name of this individual has been changed to protect their privacy.