first-generation

Growing up in southern Virginia, Sandy Torchia, BS Accounting ’93, discovered her passion for accounting early. During high school, she realized that hard work in the field could not only open doors to exciting opportunities but also to a fulfilling career.

From improving underserved communities’ care to supporting faculty research on women living with HIV, Janell Addo-Boateng, MPH ’25, gained hands-on experience in policy, evaluation, and communication.

Rocío Rodríguez Morales, MSW ‘25, a first-generation student, found support and community at George Mason as she forged a new career path with her third degree.

Born and raised in Paris, France, Ava Uppal, BS Marketing ’19, fondly recalls baking with her mother and turning simple ingredients into heartfelt memories. Now, as a part-time MBA student and a working mother of two, she’s a small business owner and author of a new cookbook.

Alizé Rubiera is the first ADVANCE Mason Virginia Promise student to enroll at the university. She comes to George Mason from Germanna Community College.

A team from George Mason University is using augmented reality (AR) to create a smartphone app that will provide first-generation ADVANCE students with a virtual campus tour of the Fairfax Campus as they prepare to transfer from Northern Virginia Community College.

Sisc Johnson, a George Mason University School of Art student and staff member, will be the first in her family to graduate from college this May.

In the Feather Identification Lab at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Mason alum Carla Dove identifies the specific birds involved in collisions, with samples coming to her from various branches of the U.S. military, commercial airlines, and more

A double major and member of the Honors College, Juan Escalera came to Mason as an alumnus of the university’s Early Identification Program.

Mason’s first-generation students are no strangers to overcoming bias or barriers to attend college. Their remarkable tenacity keeps them striving for more.