Personal Message
At Grand Canyon University, the Gen One Lopes department serves the many brave students who are the first in their families to attend college. These students are boldly pursuing something that no one in their family has done or has had the opportunity to do before. For these students, a college degree means improved quality of life for their family, access to higher incomes and health care, and better opportunities. First-generation college students face significant obstacles and barriers to succeeding in college, and their families, with no higher education experience, lack the social and cultural capital to help them. Therefore, donations to the Gen One Lopes team will provide:
- Individualized support including one-on-one advising, informational workshops, and tailored first-generation student programming to promote student success and persistence toward degree completion.
- Staffing to research best practices, resources, scholarship opportunities, and more to build, develop, and implement effective interventions and resources for first-generation college students.
- Full-time staff and peer mentors to help first-generation students establish a sense of belonging and build self-efficacy, which are both critical for success in higher education.
- A designated first-generation college student Academic & Career Excellence (ACE) Center on campus, filled with curated first-generation college student resources, programming, and a lounge space for first-gen students to build a community with other first-gen students, staff, and faculty.
- Dedicated advising staff and initiatives to connect first-generation college students with resources necessary for them to be successful including financial planning, academic skills development, orientation to “college knowledge”, first-generation-specific career development, planning, and coaching, and more.
- The hope and guidance necessary to ensure that students who will benefit the most from a college education can complete their degree and secure employment to alter the trajectory of their family’s future.
*Grand Canyon University is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, Tax ID #47-2507725. Gifts may be tax deductible, please consult your tax professional.