News & Media
View the latest news related to the Kessler Scholars Collaborative and our partner programs across the country.
Wash U Class of 2027 Includes First Cohort of Kessler Scholars
Kessler Scholars Program Launches at Saint Mary’s
Putting First Gen First at the University of Dayton
First class of Kessler Scholars at Cornell succeeded with community and support.
Scaling Up: Kessler Scholars Collaborative Grows Footprint
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