What is First Generation Initiatives?

The First Generation Initiative, now a subset of the Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) office, is a resource dedicated to supporting our first-generation student population here at UC Santa Cruz. We do outreach, host programming, provide one-on-one guidance through drop-in hours, and are in the process of expanding our cross-campus partnerships.

A first-generation student is any student where neither parent or guardian obtained a four-year degree. They could have a parent or guardian who completed a degree non-traditionally later in life, never attended college, or obtained a degree internationally. Similarly, their guardians may have little or no experience or access to the resources for navigating the academic, financial, and cultural barriers within higher education. These are barriers we seek to address and help students overcome with our program. 

For more information about the UC Santa Cruz First Generation Initiative, contact us via email at firstgen@ucsc.edu. 

To set up a Zoom appointment with one of our Transition Mentors, click on this link!

For Faculty and Staff looking to support their first-generation students and learn more about our first-generation population, click here.

Make sure to check out our Drop in/Events Calendar and social media to stay up to date with us.

We look forward to connecting with you!