Empowering First-Generation Students Across North Carolina

First-Generation College Celebration day is held every year on November 8th to commemorate President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Higher Education Act in 1965. This act created federal financial aid programs to fund students’ educations and made key investments in colleges and universities. Many of the HEA’s programs promote postsecondary access, retention, and completion for first-generation college students, hence the name First-Generation College Celebration Day.

This day is meant to honor the accomplishments of first generation students and raise awareness of the hardships they face. According to The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, 2/3rds of all Community college students are first generation, meaning that their parents did not receive a four year college degree. This creates its own set of challenges due to a lack of a support system that understands the college process, such as applying, registering for classes, and paying fees. To add to the challenges, according to the Pell institute around 91% of students that carry student loans are first generation, and 78% are concerned about the long-term financial impact of these loans. Overall it is easy to see how much work and dedication it takes for first generation students to succeed in obtaining their degree and graduate, which only about 24% do according to First Gen Forward.

To honor this commitment many colleges are planning events in the month of September to celebrate including Piedmont Community College, who does their yearly first generation student dinner. This is a great way for the first generation students to connect with others that have similar experiences, and celebrate their commitment to furthering their education.

On the state level, President Bannock Scott of N4CSGA wrote a letter to North Carolina Community College President Association earlier this year to ask them to long into honoring first generation students at their graduations. This letter was in accordance with a motion that was made at the 2025 Spring Conference. In conclusion, the N4CSGA executive board encourages the student governments of the great 58 community colleges to look at ways to honor and support their first generation students both this September, and throughout the years to come.

Written by Paxton Sutton, Special Populations Chair, N4CSGA 25-26

Date: October 8, 2025

Thank you for taking the time to read! Stay engaged, make your voice heard, and keep leading in your community. For questions or to get involved in upcoming initiatives, feel free to reach out at n4csga@gmail.com or follow us on @n4csga.