First Generation Student Success Stories
As the first in their families to attend college, these Citrus College students and alumni entered unfamiliar territory and built their own paths forward. With support from mentors, programs and campus communities, they pursued leadership, study abroad, university transfer and careers designed to make a difference.
YESENIA BUGARIN
Promise, EOPS and one trusted counselor helped Yesenia Bugarin transform opportunity into achievement. After co-founding the First Generation Club and graduating in two years, she is taking her ambition for international business to Cal Poly Pomona.
CAROL CONTRERAS
Honors mentorship helped Carol Contreras turn a careful first step into a bold legal path. Now at USC, the first-generation college graduate hopes to become an immigration lawyer and stand beside families at risk of separation.
ALEXIA JIMENEZ
Architecture is more than a creative field for first-generation college student Alexia Jimenez. Through service projects, competition work and a county internship, she is learning how thoughtful design can expand dignity, access and opportunity.
DOMINICK MASON
A Gilman Scholarship carried first-generation college student Dominick Mason to Osaka, where cultural immersion, daily Japanese practice and new independence reshaped his worldview and inspired a future connecting computer engineering with culture.
NEREIDA VALDEZ
Family responsibilities paused Nereida Valdez's education, but not her ambition. Years later, the first-generation student returned to Citrus College, found her voice and earned a place at Cal State Fullerton to study business administration and law.