SURRY COUNTY, N.C. — Fifty-six percent of all undergraduate students are first generation college students, according to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), and more than 50% are minority students.

Melanie Munoz-Lorenzo is in her second year studying business administration at Surry Community College.

“I have some, like, offers from flooring companies, drywall companies as well by financing them. So, I want to kind of be working with numbers. That's something I really like enjoying,” Munoz-Lorenzo said.

She eventually wants to start her own business with her family, says they are why her education is so important to her.

“Really important to me because it's such a rewarding and exciting experience. Being able to accomplish any academic goals that neither both of my parents could do at such a young age,” Munoz-Lorenzo said.

Her parents moved here from Mexico and sacrificed their own education to give Melanie and her older brother everything they couldn’t have. That makes her a first generation college student.

“So, once I got the resources to actually learn and be able to read English, making A on an assignment, on homework, it was such a happy experience for me because that meant so much to me because I knew something that I learned, I learned it,” Munoz-Lorenzo said.

She says her parents are the reason she’s studying business. Seeing her mom put on yard sales as a child and her father teaching them about budgeting while working to provide for them inspires her.

"It's really, like, heartwarming to me being able to, like, give that to them when knowing that they couldn't do that for their parents,” Munoz-Lorenzo said.

Melanie graduates with her associate degree in business administration in December, helping make up the 60% of female first-generation students across the country.