(Music)
I am the first one in my family to go to
a four-year university.
One of the hardest ones for me was figuring out how to fill the FAFSA.
Just finding how to really get scholarships
and to write a good essay to win those scholarships.
You don't really know  – you
don't even know who to contact
because neither of your parents know.
Dropping her off and leaving her 
here at K-State that first --
and driving away and looking in the
rearview mirror was pretty tough.
My K-State experience as a first-gen
student has been absolutely wonderful!
I think the program has been a tremendous help to her,
particularly in the beginning when she
didn't really know what to expect or how to fit in.
They are an amazing resource for
first-generation students.
The mentors helped me out with talking out some problems.
I would say the first person that I turn to generally is my advisor.
That's some of the great things about the program.
They are always willing to ask you
what can I do for you?
But it's kind of like the small class sizes –
that's what I found the most helpful.
I really got to know my peers and connect
with them
and just kind of navigate college with them.
We get together once a month and do really fun activities
that give us time to bond with each other
and get to know other people really well too.
Kansas State offers you comfort,
and most of all to make friends –
to make connections.
I would advise other first-gen students to find other people
that are also first-gen and hang out with
them.
It's an amazing experience!
That first year you're gonna make a lot of
friends.
And of that group, those are going to be
 the people that last
for the next four to the next twenty hopefully.
It's such a great program because
it builds so much team building
and character development,
 and leadership development.
And it's really skills that they'll be able
to carry on through life!
I found that K-State is great on
developing leadership, developing skills
that make you succeed in what you want to do.
K-State definitely helped prepare me for my career.
My coursework was amazing and challenging.
It's the classes, the professors
and the people that you meet along the way
help motivate you and inspire you
to continue working hard 
and pushing towards your goal.
Some of the advice I would give to parents who are considering –
particularly K-State is to come here and visit
and really get a feel for the family atmosphere.
I chose K-State simply on the fact that
I took a tour of it
and I kind of fell in love with the campus.
I would strongly recommend that you, at the very least,
come give us a visit.
It's a beautiful campus.
There's amazing people.
It'll change your life!
