STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER

WConnect

First-Gen Celebration Week

Join us for our annual First-Gen Celebration Week!

First Gen Week Events flyer showing cowboy boots, sunflowers, and rolling hills with a sunset in the background. November 10-14, 2025. Events are open to all students. Monday 11/10 Pioneer Pancake Breakfast 8am-10 am Reneau Hall Porch; Barnyard Board Games 5pm-7pm Library Lobby. Tuesday 11/11 Financial Literacy and Salary Negotiation Workshop 5pm GPG Room Library;  Wilde West Dodgeball Social 5:15pm Stark Recreation. Wednesday 11/12 Saddle Bag Survival Kits for Final Exams Giveaway 11am-1pm Dining Hall. Thursday 11/13 Trailblazers Roundup: A Salute to First Gen Seniors 4pm Poindexter Auditorium; Cowboy Cookout Tailgate 5pm-6pm Pohl Gym Lawn; Cowgirls Court: Women’s Basketball 6pm Pohl Gym. Friday 11/14 First Gen Flannel Fiesta: Food, Fun, and Flannel 11:30 am – 1 pm Reneau Hall Room 402.

Are you a first-gen student?

At The W, students are considered first-gen college students if neither parent/guardian has completed a four-year bachelors degree even if other members of the family have completed a degree.

As a First-Gen Forward Institution we are committed to helping our first-gen college student community. If you identify as a first-gen college student, you are invited to be a part of our first-gen college student success programs listed below.

Lowndes FYRST Leaders

Join other First Generation Youth Realizing Success Together (FYRST) who attend college in Lowndes County to network, grow as young professionals, and provide leadership for the next generation. This grant-funded program is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Columbus and is open to first-generation college students at EMCC and The W.

Qualifications:

  • First Generation College Student
  • Attending College in Lowndes County
  • Academic Good Standing: Freshman -Senior
  • Complete Application and Interview

Benefits:

  • Personal and leadership development
  • Networking with other first gen students, university leaders, and business leaders
  • No-cost Leadership Retreat Jan 8-9 at Plymouth Bluff Environmental Center
  • Conduct a service project for high school students who will become first-gen college students
  • Recognition luncheon at Rotary Club of Columbus

Application

First-Gen Student Ambassador Scholarship

First-gen students are trailblazers for their family, but also face some unknowns in the new college environment. To help first-gen students navigate this new setting, The W has established an ambassador program for peer-to-peer interactions. The First-Generation Student Ambassadors will participate in activities like behind-the scenes tours of campus resources, individual coaching sessions, and they will be assigned a mentor. They will help plan, publicize and implement our annual First-Gen Celebration in November as well as be a resource for their peers.

Qualifications:

  • First-Gen Student
  • Entering freshman seeking a bachelors degree
  • Qualified for Whitfield or Franklin Scholarship
  • Complete application and interview process

Obligations:

  • Academic Good Standing
  • Attend UN 101 – Introduction to College Life
  • Participate in Group Activities
  • Assist with First-Gen Welcome and Celebration
Application