Stepping foot on a college campus was a huge change for UTSA senior Jenica Vega. Like many first-generation college students, the UTSA marketing major didn’t know what to expect or if campus life would be a good fit.
“I was terrified of failing,” Vega says. who will be graduating this fall. “I had never been on a campus or in a classroom before. I’ve been homeschooled my whole life, but I fell in love with the university, the community, faculty and students. I’ve found some of my best friends here.”
Nearly 45% of UTSA’s undergraduate population is made up of first-generation students. The university serves these students by offering tailored resources to meet their unique needs.
“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,” says 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%.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 45% of undergraduate students at UTSA are first-gen.
- Around 75% of the students in the Bold Scholars Program are first-gen.
- Passing rates for first-gen students went up 5% with the Student Experience Project.
- There was a 14% increase in six-year graduation rates from 2017 to 2022 for first-gen students.
- There was a 15% increase in degrees awarded annually from 2017 to 2022.
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 says. “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 says. “It’s about wanting to make sure they know they have us to help them.”
UTSA offers a supportive community for first-gen students, which make up 45% of the university’s undergraduate population.
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 says.
Vega was a senior when she signed up to match with a peer mentor through the F2G&G program.
Both of Vega’s parents attended some, but never completed, college. As successful small business owners, their paths and interests were different than their daughter’s, who views a college education as a way to open doors to her career.
“I have amazing, supportive parents but they didn’t stress the need for college, so it was all new to me when I started at UTSA,” Vega says. “As a first-generation student, I am really proud of pushing myself to get so far in my education and taking advantage of all the resources offered on campus. This is a big deal. I’m making a future for myself.”
