First to Go

The First To Go Program at Loyola Marymount University provides a source of academic support and engagement opportunities for students who are "first-generation college" (i.e. neither parent has completed a bachelor's degree in the United States). It is our mission to aid our students’ transition into college by introducing them to a network of first-generation peers, faculty, professional staff, and alumni mentors. We provide students with opportunities to invest themselves in the academic life of the university and promote the development of their social capital through campus-wide activities and events coordinated by our student e-board and class representatives. Please visit our Calendar of Events for more information on upcoming programming.

First To Go also sponsors the Scholars’ Program, which offers an intensive academic experience for a limited number of incoming freshmen; a writing workshop, where students work with professional staff to compose, present, and publish their personal narratives; a peer-reviewed journal of creative and critical scholarship on the first-generation college experience; and several co-curricular immersion experiences, such as our Job Shadow, Alternative Breaks, and Study Abroad programs.

Browse the tabs above to discover how the First Generation experience has been expressed by individuals and their unique stories through multiple media outlets and in countless fashions.