First Gen+ Program Coordinator Nate Owens greeted incoming students with grins and high-fives. As they found their seats, Owens made small talk with them about their intended majors and tastes in music while a pop playlist ran in the background. The goal, clearly, was to make students feel welcome and at home, because the evening’s topic was important: financial literacy.
“It’s always important to make sure we create spaces where students feel welcome and at ease,” Owens said. “One of the awesome things about working in the Capstone Center for Student Success is that we provide holistic support to students, ensuring we are covering multiple aspects of the college experience. By teaching them about academic support, career planning and personal finance, First Gen Foundations does just that.”
After students checked in with one another about how their week was going, Owens led them through a game of financially focused “Would You Rather.” Everyday money dilemmas appeared on screen: Would you rather buy coffee at a coffee shop or get coffee from the student center? Would you rather eat at a fast-food place or meal prep? Students responded with thumbs up or down. A guest speaker, Brendan Roszman, taught them about financial literacy. Later, the class played a game of “The Price is Right” with money topics and went through a budgeting activity.
First Gen Foundations is an eight-week crash course in college survival that covers topics like physical fitness, career readiness, social wellness, and yes, financial literacy. Within the course, which piloted this fall, peer mentors helped with small-group discussions and check-ins and helped students feel more connected to their cohort.
“I was able to help guide students on their new college journeys,” said Cadyn Coates, a First Gen Foundations mentor and biology major from New Orleans. “I was also able to share with my mentees that college is about continuous learning about yourself and the life you want – nothing is perfect on the first time.”
First Gen Foundations mentor Cameron Clark, a general business major from Shreveport, Louisiana, said, “My favorite part of being a First Gen Foundations mentor was getting to meet and connect with new first-generation students and guide them through a shared experience – navigating college. I feel like I learned so much from them while I was trying to let them learn from the mistakes I made when I was a freshman.”
The students who participated in First Gen Foundations benefited from the connections and mentorship that mentors like Coates and Clark offered. “First Gen Foundations gave me a chance to connect with someone older, even if only a year older, to ask questions about the college experience both academically and socially,” said participant Maria Espinal-Mora, a mechanical engineering major from Huntsville. “Usually, you make friends in your grade or major as a freshman, so it can be helpful to make friends with diverse majors, and that’s what this program provides.”
Unique Challenges
First-generation college students are ones whose parents did not complete a four-year degree. They face unique challenges. They are often unfamiliar with the culture of higher education, which increases the need for exposure to campus resources early in their college career. The path to graduation is often more of a meandering journey to self-discovery than a straight line, which is why developing a campus connection and community is important. And they often have more questions about the financial literacy components of higher education, where early education in money management is crucial to future success.
In Fall 2025, 27.5% of the UA freshman class self-identified as first-generation college students. And as the number of first-generation students entering higher education continues to increase, it is critical for universities to meet them where they are and offer them support and community.
Building on Foundations
First Gen Foundations is just one part of how UA welcomes and supports first-generation students. Once a month, first-generation students are invited to come, eat, and socialize with other first-generation students at First Gen Fridays. In the First Gen Mentoring program, students meet once a month with faculty members who were first-generation students themselves. And First Gen Workshops introduce students to campus resources, covering topics like campus involvement and the FAFSA. Finally, Crimson Scholars, an invitation-only program, helps students make the most of their first year of college, and completion of the program qualifies them for $3000 scholarships.
“UA First supports all students in their academic and social transition into UA,” said Associate Director, First Gen+ Programs Carrie West Harris. “For first-generation students, we know finding community, connecting to resources and having mentors is especially important to their success. Through the programs in UA First and First Gen+, students can connect with other first-generation students, peer mentors and faculty or staff mentors.”
First Gen Week is Nov. 3-8, with a full schedule of events dedicated to celebrating and lifting the voices of first-generation students on campus.