Editor's Note: Looking for an opportunity to celebrate First-Gen Day Nov. 8, 2021? Join the First-Generation College Student Day Celebration at Frog Fountain from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Nov. 8. Have a first-gen college student story you would like to share? Email TCU Today.

TCU has been supporting first-generation college students through its TRIO Student Support Services since 1997. First-gen college students now make up about 17 percent of the Horned Frog student body.

In the fall and this spring, TCU Today turned the spotlight on TCU’s First Gen Network as well as members of our campus community who are — or were — first-generation college students.

In case you missed it, here’s a look back at our first-gen stories:

First Gen Network

In 2019, the Center for First-Generation Student Success chose TCU as one of 80 higher-ed institutions in its 2019-2020 First-Gen Forward Cohort, which recognizes demonstrated commitment to advancing first-generation student success. A Q&A with TCU staffers from Student Support Services, Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services and Student Development Services provides some insight on first-gen Horned Frogs. Read more.

Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr.

Though they did not attend college themselves, the parents of TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. were determined their son would. “It was their dream that I would, so from a very early age, they made it pretty clear to me that was the goal,” he recalls. Read more.

Alumna Joly Bui

Joly Bui ’20 wasn’t sure what would come next after her undergrad years, so she turned to her TCU professors. “Senior year was when I started asking professors about their career paths, and they were all more than willing to explain their story and offer advice,” said Bui, a supply and value chain management graduate from Arlington. “The professors and faculty at TCU truly want you to succeed and will go out of their way to check up on you even after you’ve graduated. They are the best.” Read more.

Resident Hall Director Shanna Davis

Born in St. Ann’s, Jamaica, Shanna Davis grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was living in North Carolina when she got the call to join TCU’s staff. But before becoming part of the Horned Frog family, she successfully navigated the path of a first-generation college student, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She now is the hall director for Richards Hall and Ashley and Greg Arnold Hall. Read more.

Alumnus Rolando Guerrero

Rolando Guerrero ’09 came to TCU as a Community Scholar intent on becoming a doctor, but he found his true passion in graphic design. While he still faced numerous challenges and one major detour, he found plenty of Horned Frog support along the way. Now Guerrero, the senior digital art director at Agency Habitat in Fort Worth, uses his journey to inspire other first-gens. Read more.

Honors College Faculty Estee Hernández

Estee Hernández, Ph.D., emigrated from Mexico with her family when she was a child. Now an adjunct faculty member in the John V. Roach Honors College, she says she is deeply proud of being a “Valley girl” from Brownsville, Texas. Read more.

Student Romane Mays

When Fort Worth resident Romane Mays received his invitation to join the Class of 2021 as a Community Scholar, he knew TCU was where he wanted to become a leader. Being a first-generation college student has been challenging — and at times even lonely — but Mays found a support network among fellow Horned Frogs. Now the senior business information systems major is ready to create his own legacy. Read more.