Our First Generation Initiative (FGI) ensures academic success for high-need, high-potential first-generation students from our partner Lasallian and Jesuit schools — from middle school through college graduation — and helps the university carry out our Lasallian mission of providing access to education, regardless of students’ backgrounds or financial standings. On May 23, the FGI program received generous financial support at the sixth annual Scholars S.O.A.R. (Support, Opportunity, Accountability, and Responsibility) breakfast on the Twin Cities Campus. We are grateful to the 100 attendees who helped us raise $139,000 in donations.
At his final S.O.A.R. breakfast at Saint Mary’s, President Brother William Mann — who first articulated the FGI program at his inauguration in 2008 — reflected on the success and spoke about the vision for the program, which includes preparing high school students for college (Countdown to College) and providing academic, social, and financial support for students while in college (FGI Scholars). Former FGI Scholar Nancy Leon Morales ’15 and current FGI Scholar Stanley Wright ’19 gave compelling testimonies about the impact of the program on their lives.