First-gen Roadrunners find a sense of community at UTSA

"Supporting first-generation students is at the core of our mission at UTSA. We know that when our first-gen students are given the resources and opportunities they need to thrive, it creates a ripple effect of success across their academic, personal and career journeys," said Tammy Wyatt, UTSA senior vice provost for student success.

UTSA offers first-generation students with access to peer mentorship, faculty coaching, community-building and other resources through institution-wide academic support programs such as First to Go and Graduate (F2G&G), First-Gen STEM Scholars, First-Gen Living & Learning Community and the First-Gen Second Year Experience.

A faculty development initiative called the Student Experience Project debuted last fall. The program focuses on growth, mindset and creating a sense of connection and belonging in the classroom.

Fifty-two faculty members participated in the project, which has already yielded promising results, Wyatt said, especially among first-gen students whose passing rates bumped up 5%.

Also in 2023, UTSA was awarded $2.4 million from the Hector & Gloria Lopez Foundation to create the Lopez Scholars Program, which provides full financial support for first-generation Latino students.

This fall, the university announced its newest project in partnership with Northwest Vista College, UTSA One: Helping First-Generation Students Seize Opportunities, a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education, designed to improve equitability and student outcomes among first-generation and transfer students from lower-income backgrounds.

Wyatt, who is serving as the co-principal investigator for the UTSA One project, says it will further advance connection and community at UTSA.

"Our approach combines tailored success coaching, advising, mentorship and evidence-based programming to ensure that first-gen students feel connected, empowered and equipped to reach their full potential," she said. "By fostering an environment where they can thrive, we're not just impacting individual lives but creating a stronger, more inclusive university community."

UTSA students Yareli Lira and Shwe Sein know first-hand what a positive and supportive community can do. Both are first-generation students who serve as peer mentors for other first-gens as part of the Bold Scholars Program.

The four-year program allows first-gen students who were admitted to UTSA as part of the university's Bold Promise tuition assistance program to experience the benefits of living on campus in their first year of college.

Around 75% of the UTSA students participating in the Bold Scholars Program are first-generation college students.

Starting college was tough for Lira, but she says the people around her helped her build her confidence, in turn making her want to become supportive for others like her.

"My role as a peer mentor is to connect students with what they need: the career center, the food bank and help them with their day-to-day schedule," Lira said. "It's about wanting to make sure they know they have us to help them."

Sein also enjoys being a reliable supporter of other first-generation students.

"I want them to feel like I am a bigger sister on campus. Someone they can chit-chat with and understand they are never alone," she said.

Vega was a senior when she signed up to match with a peer mentor through the F2G&G program.

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