News & Media
View the latest news related to the Kessler Scholars Collaborative and our partner programs across the country.
First to the Finish Line: Leading Program for First-Generation College Student Success Shows Promise with New Graduates
(May 15, 2023 | Ann Arbor, MI) When he started college at the University of Michigan in fall 2019, Herik Garcia was among the more than a third of undergraduate students who are the first in their family each year to enter college. However, students like Herik too...
Graduate Profile: Herik Garcia
Sometimes a snap decision, born from a brief window of free time, can change the trajectory of one’s life. For Kessler Scholar and 2023 University of Michigan graduate Herik Garcia, that moment came during his senior year of high school in tiny Hartford, Michigan,...
Graduate Profile: Olivia Gurfinkiel
In fall 2019, Argentinian native Olivia Gurfinkiel entered Cornell University as a first-year, first-generation college student, uncertain of where the next four years would lead her. This spring, Olivia and 15 fellow seniors from the first cohort of Kessler Scholars...
Graduate Profile: Lubna Azmi
When she joined the first cohort of Kessler Scholars at Johns Hopkins University in 2020, Lubna Azmi did not foresee the breadth of impact this program would have on her postsecondary experience. She quickly found that the Kessler Scholars program afforded her access...
New Kessler Student Center welcomes first-generation students to U-M LSA Building
WashU hits major milestone: Class of 2026 is 20% Pell Grant-eligible, 15% first-generation
Washington University in St. Louis has hit a major milestone in its quest to enroll more students with limited resources: 20% of the incoming Class of 2026 is Pell Grant-eligible, a 15 percentage-point increase from 10 years ago. In addition, 15% of incoming students...
Saint Mary’s College Receives $1 Million Grant for First-Generation College Students
Saint Mary’s will join 15 other institutions in bringing a comprehensive, cohort-based model for first-generation student success to campus
A groundbreaking LSA program closes gaps with continuing-generation students.
LSA has long been a leader in liberal arts education—not just delivering outstanding academics to a large, diverse student population, but repeatedly inventing new approaches that support students and make their education more effective and accessible. For instance,...
Ithaka S+R Announces a New Partnership with the Kessler Scholars Collaborative
First-generation students face unique challenges upon entering college. Compared to their peers whose families have a history of college attendance, these students are more likely to have additional responsibilities outside of the classroom, receive less financial...
Centre College Bolsters First-Generation Student Success Through Cohort Scholarship Programs
An interview with Sarah Scott, director of the Grissom Scholarship Program
The Kessler Scholars Program Expands to Ten More Leading Colleges and Universities
Source: Forbes The Kessler Scholars Program, a highly successful support program for first-generation college students first developed at the University of Michigan, is expanding to ten additional institutions.
Centre College receives $1 million to join Kessler Scholars Collaborative, a national network of first-generation focused institutions
Centre named among 10 colleges nationwide for highly selective program ensuring first-generation student success on campus.