Through the success of the First-Generation Success Center, the University of North Texas earned the designation of being a First-Generation Forward institution due to the programs and efforts dedicated to serving first-generation students.

First-Gen Forward welcomed 53 new institutions, including UNT, with the cohort now representing 215 higher education institutions.

UNT’s First-Generation Success Center, which opened last spring, gained this accreditation with the hard work and dedication of the center’s staff and the leadership of Desiree Padron, director of the First-Generation Success Center. Padron also credits partnerships with departments and student organizations across campus for the success of the program

“My team, which includes all of the efforts of the Emerald Eagles Scholars team and support of the UNT TRIO programs and First-Generation Student Organization, have worked very hard in creating a foundation for this first year of operations as the First-Generation Success Center and First-Generation Success Center department,” said Padron. “We are excited and grateful to have our efforts and sacrifices recognized on a national level among out higher education peers.”

The center centralizes resources and programs to be the first line of support for inquiries from students whose parents did not earn a four-year college degree. It offers programs and workshops that address areas such as financial aid and financial literacy, academic support, career exploration, navigating graduate school, leadership development and community resources. First-generation students at UNT make up 41.5 percent of the undergraduate population.

To learn more about UNT’s First-Generation Success Center, visit:  https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/node/244024/.