First Gen Journey Elisa Hernandez, Ph.D.

In this episode, Dr. Hernandez interviews Dannielle Romoleroux, a Program Manager at a diversity recruiting start-up in New York, about her First Gen Journey. She recently started a passion project focused on documenting her financial goals and progress, First Gen Money. She discusses how she didn’t really consider money when applying to and attending college but re-paying her loans has become her priority and motivated her to think more critically about how she manages her money.

Today’s episode features a panel from Making Waves Foundation’s College & Alumni Program (CAP). CAP provides financial literacy, college coaching, scholarships, career development, and professional networking opportunities to close the gap from college acceptance to college completion for low-income and underserved college students. Four CAP staff members – Ana Calderon, David Ochoa, Dr. Kristina Wright, and Victoria Kupu, will be sharing their experiences as First Gen Professionals working to support and create opportunities for First Generation College Students.

In this episode, Dr. Hernandez reviews two articles that highlight how universities can support First Gen students through comprehensive programming. Dr. Hernandez discusses how social support, financial support, academic support, faculty engagement, mentoring/advising, and high impact educational practices should be central components to any comprehensive First Gen program.

Dr. Hernandez introduces the changes to season 3 and outlines the eight correlates of First Gen success that she will discuss throughout the season.

In this episode, Dr. Hernandez interviews Israel Rojas-Moreno, a Senior Consultant at Capital Group about his First Gen Journey. He discusses how he felt guilty about having distance from the challenges his family faced back home and how his long-term perspective was vital in helping him stay motivated for school. He also shared how he learned to utilize the strengths of his First Gen identity to relate to others and build meaningful relationships with colleagues and family members.

In this episode, Dr. Hernandez interviews Maira Hernández, an author, blogger, and Recruitment Specialist at a non-profit organization about her First Gen Journey. She discusses her struggle to understand herself better, find balance, and advocate for a professional space that would allow her to feel valued.