Mission Bay High School recently held an open house for First Gen Scholars, a program for grades 10-11 empowering first-generation, low-income students helping them navigate through college admissions to graduate debt-free.

“We are extremely proud of these students breaking down barriers and being the first in their family to attend college,” said Gloria Cota, MBHS admin office support/student mentor.

First Gen Scholars points out that high-achieving students from low-income families often aspire to be the first in their lineage to go to college, yet existing educational, economic, and cultural barriers limit them from applying to college and graduating. The current racial composition of MBHS’ 1,076 students is approximately 52% Hispanic, 22% white, 14% Black, 10% Asian and 1% American Indian.

En firstgenscholars.org, Jonathon Burgos, who created the nonprofit, said First Gen Scholars’ purpose is “to address the college acceptance, retention, and graduation rates of the most underserved communities. Students are not just learning about college admissions; they’re creating a community of youth leaders who want to help each other thrive. I never imagined this idea could become a movement, but when you see our students creating First Gen Clubs at 20-plus high schools in San Diego alone, that’s what’s happening. I’m honored to be part of it.”

First Gen Clubs averaging 30 to 60 students were subsequently created as launchpads nurturing a “college-going culture.” The nonprofit’s college-access program includes a months-long transformative summer program where district-wide high school students learn to master the college admissions process.

The First Gen Scholars program has three basic components: a college-access program empowering scholars to share their authentic stories through a robust summer program; a debt-free emphasis connecting student scholars to funding and opportunities so they can graduate 100% debt-free; and having dedicated mentors support scholars through a network of First Gen college students and dedicated professionals.

This year, MBHS piloted its First Gen Scholars Club. And the early returns for students from underserved communities there applying for higher education have been encouraging. MBHS First Gen students have thus far heard back from the following schools they’ve applied to: Harvard (pending second interview), Williamsburg, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Pomona, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Cal Poly SLO, UC Santa Cruz, Cal State SF, UC Merced, Cal, SDSU, Humboldt, Hawaii Pacific, Oregon State, Colorado State, Sonoma, Sacramento, Long Beach, and Monterey Bay.

At the MBHS First Gen open house on March 13, Jadyn Ganss, MBHS First Gen Club president, talked about the organization helping her “fit in.”

“When I came to Mission Bay from Clairemont, I didn’t have any friends,” she said. “It wasn’t until I joined First Gen that I started making friends and meeting other people from where I was coming from. Now I feel like I do belong. I also never believed that I could stay in college. I was afraid I would fail if I went far away. Through First Gen’s program, I was able to connect with college admissions offices and tour school campuses.”

At the open house Chris Feliciano, senior program director for First Gen Scholars, spoke to upcoming seniors about the benefits of participating in their high school’s First Gen Club.

“There is something special happening here at MBHS with things coming to fruition with leadership from students in the program,” he said adding, “It’s going to continue with you all here in this room. We help students get into college, and figure out how to get accepted. After five years of existence, First Gen has helped over 500 students get on the college track. Our mission is to serve low-income students across San Diego helping them get into college with a high success rate and do it debt-free. It’s an honor to be here to continue this legacy.”