Welcome to the Aggie Family!
Being the first in your family to attend college can be challenging, but at UC Davis we’ve got your back. In fact, the campus has launched the First Generation Initiative to help connect students with faculty, peers and resources that can make all the difference during your time at UC Davis.
Our Faculty Are Here for You
Visit the First Generation website to read about UC Davis faculty who were also the first in their families to attend college. The directory lists hundreds of faculty who are committed to helping students navigate all the ins and outs, access resources, and just lend a hand when needed.
Did You Know?
44% of undergraduates in the College of Letters and Science are first-generation college students.
Meet Milmon Harrison
Milmon Harrison is a senior lecturer in African American and African Studies and the first in his family to attend college. His advice?
Get connected: What a place this is – a big, giant place. You have to make it small by being connected with people who can talk to you and answer your questions and mentor you and support you. Get used to asking the question: “What’s available for me?”
Read his whole story on the First Generation website.
You've Got the Whole UC Behind You
Our commitment is grounded in the larger effort at the University of California to celebrate and support first generation students. On the UC site, you will find statistics about graduation rates for first-gen students and advice from leaders, students, faculty and alumni who were the first in their families to attend college.
A Journey Through Five Colleges
Dave Ivan Cruz (B.A., international relations, '19) was born and raised in the Philippines and did not move to the United States until December 2013. He attended four colleges — three in the U.S. and one in the Philippines — before he transferred to UC Davis. The first in his family to attend a four-year university and in a foreign country, Cruz feared “getting lost and messing up.” But he credits the lifelong friends he has made and his advisor for getting him through. “Mike Valenzuela was my go-to advisor in the College of Letters and Science. He guided me and my fellow transfers during our first quarter ... I seek advice from him whenever I have uncertainties about any processes on campus.” Read more about Cruz's journey. (Photo: Daniel Oberbauer)
No hay mal que por bien no venga, or “there is no bad that doesn’t also come with something good.
Sí se puede: My path to a Ph.D. as a struggling first-generation student
Adilene Bernal Sánchez recounts her path and struggles of achieving higher education as a first-generation student. She is set to finish her Ph.D. in organic chemistry soon, at University of California, Davis.
