First-Generation Center at USC

☀️🎓 Calling all first-generation students! 🎓☀️

Are you spending your summer participating in an internship, conducting research, studying abroad, working toward your goals, or taking part in another meaningful experience?

The First-Generation Center wants to celebrate your journey through our Summer Spotlight Series! 🌟

By sharing your story, you can:
✨ Celebrate your accomplishments
✨ Showcase your experiences
✨ Inspire other first-generation students

📸 Interested in being featured?
Complete the form and tell us about your summer experience:
🔗 bit.ly/first-gen-spotlight

We can't wait to highlight the amazing things our first-gen students are accomplishing this summer! ❤️🖤

A heartfelt thank you to St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church Outreach Ministries for their generous donation to the USC First-Generation Center.

Your support helps us provide essential resources to first-generation students, empowering them to focus on their education and achieve their goals.

Leadership is about creating opportunities for others to grow and succeed. ✨

The First-Generation Center at the University of South Carolina is proud to celebrate Dr. LaNaé Budden, Director of the First-Gen Center, for receiving the 2026 Commitment to Inclusive Excellence Award presented by NASPA South Carolina.

This award recognizes professionals who lead with purpose, advocate for inclusive excellence, and create meaningful opportunities for students to thrive. Dr. Budden’s dedication to first-generation student success continues to make a lasting impact across our campus community.

Congratulations, Dr. Budden! Your leadership inspires us all.

University of South Carolina

Global opportunities should be accessible to every student — and every journey starts with a first passport. 🌍✈️

We are honored to be awarded an IIE American Passport Project grant by Institute of International Education (IIE) to support 25 Pell-eligible students in obtaining their U.S. passports, removing a common barrier that prevents students from considering study abroad.

The program will begin in Fall 2026, so stay tuned for application information and future updates right here!

For more information, please contact:
📧 [email protected]

On Wednesday, Dr. Budden and first-generation student Eduardo A. had the opportunity to speak with junior first-generation students at Brookland-Cayce High School about the First-Gen Center and share college preparation tips for success.

It was inspiring to connect with such motivated students—there’s no doubt they have a bright future ahead.

Special thanks to USC alum Mr. Mantekas for the invitation!

FirstGen Forward recently welcomed the University of South Carolina into its newest class of FirstGen Forward Network Champions. Network Champion institutions are an exclusive group serving as national leaders in advancing first-generation efforts and contributing to an important knowledge base of evidence-based practices, leadership engagement, and scaling student supports.

"We are honored to be recognized as a FirstGen Forward Network Champion,” said Provost Mary Anne Fitzpatrick. “This distinction reflects our strong commitment to supporting first-generation students and building pathways that help them succeed from enrollment through graduation.”

Learn more at https://bit.ly/USCFirstGenChampion

Join us at University of South Carolina Fireflies night at Segra Park on Thursday April 23rd! Register with us (link in bio) to enjoy dinner & a baseball hat in addition to the game. Shuttle service is provided by campus, Carolina Card needed for entry. Dinner is drop in from 6-7:30pm.

Congratulations to our 12 students who participated in our eight-week pilot First-Gen Internship and Career Accelerator Program, hosted in partnership with the University of South Carolina Career Center.

Throughout the program, students learned valuable strategies, including how to search for internships, utilize resources such as Big Interview, Handshake, and Mentorship Hub (all provided by the Career Center), and develop or update their résumés and LinkedIn profiles—among m

Special thanks to Coach Ken Rucker for leading all the sessions and so generously giving his time!

University of South Carolina

March is almost over—but the First-Generation Center still has plenty of opportunities for at the University of South Carolina!