Trinity’s First-Generation Tigers Program Grows Through Ready. Set. Rise.

First-generation students don’t just write a new chapter for themselves, they write playbooks for academic success, handling stress, and questions of belonging for future generations to follow. 

Enter Trinity University’s First-Generation Tigers Program. Housed in Student Inclusion and Belonging, the program celebrates and uplifts first-generation identity while providing practical support for student success. 

The program was created and soft-launched in fall 2024, beginning with a kickoff event “designed not just to introduce a new initiative, but to listen,” said Alicia Moreno, Ph.D., director of Student Inclusion and Belonging. Co-led with Jessica Montenegro, assistant director of Student Inclusion and Belonging, they asked first-generation students what they would want if a first-generation program existed.

The answers were clear: Students wanted community and support that connects college to what comes next, from scholarships and internships to postgraduate planning.

The program’s first year focused on building relationships through community events. The program began offering workshops on topics students identified as most relevant, including scholarships, résumés, and internships, as well as opportunities to learn from first-generation alumni and local professionals navigating the college-to-career transition.

What started with four students has grown to 55. As of Spring 2026, the program was approved as a Ready. Set. Rise. pilot, creating new momentum and capacity to expand its reach.

For students, the impact is immediate: more workshops, more events, stronger partnerships across campus, and greater visibility for first-generation pride and leadership. The program’s goal is simple—help students find community early, then stay supported and connected through graduation.

As the program grows, it also advances Trinity’s broader student-success priorities. The First-Gen Tigers Program aligns with the Student-Focused Education pillar in the strategic plan by reducing barriers first-generation students may encounter and ensuring intentional access to mentorship, meaningful campus connections, and tailored resources that support resilience and post-graduate readiness.

“Being the ‘first’ comes with unique challenges,” Moreno said. “But it’s imperative that we don’t focus on deficit perspectives. Their experience provides unique skill sets.”

Those strengths, including resilience, determination, and motivation, are central to the program's design. Rather than treating first-generation identity as a gap to close, the program creates an identity-affirming space that validates students’ experiences, encourages help-seeking, and strengthens connection.

If the campus understood just one thing about the first-generation community, Moreno hopes it would be this: 

“We are trailblazers.”