The responsibility of first generation college students is to pave a concrete path for their future generations. The obstacles they encounter are ones they must dissipate for their descendants. Low-income/first generation students aspire to achieve a college degree, but the college degree-attainment gap between them and their counterparts is exponentially increasing. This is a result of the education and financial factors acting simultaneously. “It is no longer enough to be concerned only about whether low-income and first-generation students go to college. We also must be concerned about where and how they go to college—and the experiences they have once enrolled—to ensure that this population can stay there through the completion of a degree" (Cuseo).
There are a number of interventions to promote college access and success for first generation college students. There are two federally-funded programs that have been long-standing, TRIO and GEAR UP. The programs aid support for educationally and economically disadvantaged students from middle school through college. Nationwide, more than 2.700 TRIO programs serve low-income and first-generation students annually. Some of the |
programs include, but are not limited to, the Talent Search, Upward Bound, Student Support Services, and McNair Scholars.