Are you the first in your family to go to college? You are not alone! First-generation college students make up almost 25 percent of the total U of A undergraduate population, and many faculty and administrators are also first in their family to attend college.

The First-Generation Mentoring Program, sponsored by the Honors College, was developed to help first-generation freshman and sophomore students navigate life on campus by pairing them with caring faculty. 

Esmeralda Verdin Gomez, an Honors College Fellow from DeQueen, Arkansas, is the first in her family to get a college education and was one of the first students to sign up for the Honors College First-Generation Mentoring Program. Her faculty mentor, Xavier Medina Vidal, associate professor of political science, sparked an interest in Latino politics, which eventually led Verdin Gomez to enroll in a series of his classes and work with him on her honors thesis. Now, she's headed to law school at Pepperdine, where she's received full tuition and a stipend.

Not all student-mentor pairs lead to shared research — and students need not be in honors to participate. For other first-gen students, the relationship with a faculty mentor may focus on how to manage your time, bounce back from a low test score or map out future plans.

Through at least two meetings a semester, faculty mentors can help students learn more about topics such as the following:

• Becoming more involved on campus
• Navigating a career path
• Exploring study abroad opportunities
• Becoming an honors student, if interested
• Finding an honors research mentor
• Balancing family/school/work
• Learning more about community engagement

This program is open to all freshmen and sophomores — both honors and non-honors students. Students can apply using the First-Generation Mentoring Program Application. This form can also be accessed on the First-Generation Mentoring Program web page. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 2, or when all spaces are filled, whichever comes first.

Students and faculty will be informed of their matches by email. The Honors College will provide recommendations on when/how to meet with your mentee and some guiding questions for the first conversation. 

Signing up is easy — do it today! For more information contact Xochitl Delgado Solorzano (xdelgad@uark.edu), director of the Honors College Path Program.

Faculty members interested in participating may learn more and sign up to volunteer by visiting the First-Generation Mentoring Program web page.