News & Media
Learn more about the Kessler Scholars Collaborative and our partner programs across the country
Graduate Profile: Anthony Osorio-Bravo
For Anthony Osorio-Bravo, the Kessler Scholars Program at Johns Hopkins University has meant far more than just financial support – it has been a source of belonging, inspiration, and purpose. Anthony attributes much of that to the close support of the program’s...
Graduate Profile: Xiao Lin Zheng
Reflecting on her experiences as a first-generation college student, Xiao Lin Zheng, a 2025 graduate of Syracuse University, points to the support and community she found as part of the Kessler Scholars Program as helping her realize the importance of asking questions...
Graduate Profile: Alie Savane
Each year, the tradition of the Kessler Scholars Coin Ceremony provides a warm and festive welcome to first-year scholars as they begin their journeys as first-generation college students. For Alie Savane, a Kessler Scholar and Class of 2025 graduate of Syracuse...
Graduate Profile: Haley Chavis
The Kessler Scholars Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), launched in 2023 as part of a program expansion to 10 new partner institutions, is unique within the Kessler Scholars Collaborative in its focus on connecting and supporting...
Graduate Profile: Elizabeth Whitmore
Elizabeth Whitmore, a Kessler Scholar and 2025 graduate of the University of Michigan, recalls being excited to start school in kindergarten. Unlike many of her peers who clung to their parents and cried, she confidently waved goodbye to her mom and entered the...
Graduate Profile: Rigoberto ‘Rigo’ Rangel
Coming from the small rural town of Hart, Michigan, Rigoberto ‘Rigo’ Rangel, a Kessler Scholar and 2025 University of Michigan graduate, experienced culture shock upon arriving in Ann Arbor for college. The bustling college town differed significantly from his...
2025 Commencement Season Marks Record Graduating Class for National Program Reshaping College Outcomes Among First-Generation, Limited-Income Students
External Evaluation Shows More than 95% of Kessler Scholars Seniors Engaged in High-Impact Practices that Contribute to Degree Completion, Success After Graduation “It would not be possible to have these unique experiences without the Kessler Scholars Program's...
First to fly at University of Dayton
Queens College celebrates first-generation students with week-long event
Figueroa, director of Kessler Scholars Program at WashU, recognized by NASPA
First-gen students support the next generation of peers
