Videos

Watch as students from our partner programs share their experiences participating within their campus communities.

University of Minnesota

Candace shares her experience as a peer coach and her desire to continue giving back to her community after graduation.

Tyra shares her experience as a first-generation student supported by many mentors and finding self-acceptance.

Harrison talks about finding a sense of belonging and wanting to engage more and give back.

University of California, Santa Cruz

First generation students from University of California Santa Cruz share their lived experiences, successes, and challenges.

Jonica shares her vision for becoming more resilient and working with others to cultivate a sense of community.

Julio shares his experience regarding community engagement, including motivations to share and increase access to resources.

Jose talks about giving back to his community and providing tools and resources to reduce educational inequality.

University of Illinois Chicago

Christopher shares his experience holding a bicultural identity and desire to empower (and be empowered by) others.

Karina discusses being a first-generation student, her family’s sacrifice, her internship, and her quest for self-acceptance.

Samuel shares his experience as a un-traditional student being supported by resources and his motivation to give back to his community back home.

Oluwaseyi reflects on what made college possible for him (financial aid) and his motivation to learn, lead, and work in a public organization in the future.

City University of New York

Three seniors at Brooklyn high schools are determined to get their entire classes to college, even though they aren’t even sure they are going to make it there themselves. They are working as college counselors in their three schools because many of their friends have nowhere else to turn for support.

Alberto shares how he was motivated by others’ stories—which further fostered his interest in community engagement and helping other students.

Afridah shares the impact of her experience as a youth leader and how that opened her to opportunities for social justice—helping communities and kids.

University of Memphis

Semere shares his experience in college and how he overcame academic challenges through persistence and with help from his tutors and teachers.

Alexandria shares her experience being supported by TRIO and how that’s driven her to help other students today.

Lietza shares her experience coming from a first-generation non-native English speaking background and her desire to become more involved in her community.