![Wearing a white lab coat, doctoral student Hossein Abbasi poses for a portrait in front of computer screens in a lab](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/2024-07/IMG_7295-2.jpg?h=f0fb51a5&itok=aKmrhJ68)
First generation students are the first in their families to go to college. They make up 40% of UM-Dearborn’s student population. And since many don’t have people in their families to ask about the ins and outs of university life, campus created a strong support system for them to succeed.
But there’s one problem: Because First-Gens are new to the college experience, many don’t realize they are part of a unique community group — and if they don’t realize that, they often won’t know there are specialized resources available to help them reach their goals.
“That’s the irony of it,” said senior Brandon Queen, a first generation college student. “The resources are there because people at UM-Dearborn know we may not have anyone in our immediate families we can talk to about college — but because we don’t have anyone to talk to, we don’t know that we should be seeking out resources. So we need someone to reach out to us.”