WINGATE, N.C. —  A grant is giving a boost to a new program for first-generation college students at Wingate University. 

What You Need To Know

  • A grant is expanding a program helping first generation college students at Wingate University

  • The program provides first generation college students with resources and information to help them thrive at the university

  • At Wingate University, almost 40% of students are the first in their families to graduate with a bachelor’s degree

The First-Gen Bulldog Program started in fall 2021 with 46 freshmen. 

The program helps students who are the first in their immediate families to attend a four-year-institution. It offers information and connects them to resources and mentors. 

A $133,250 grant will allow the program to expand its reach to support first-generation college sophomores, juniors and seniors. 

The funding will also be used for academic workshops, cultural trips, parent/guardian orientation and stipends for peer mentors. 

First-generation college students needing financial support for school-related expenses will also be able to apply for hardship funding. 

The incoming freshman class in the First-Gen Bulldog Program will arrive to campus a week earlier to settle in. 

Savannah Phillips, who just finished her freshman year, participated in the program.  

The English major said her parents didn’t pursue higher education but have always encouraged her to go to college.

“They always told me, we want you to have a job that you love going to every single day,” Phillips said. 

However, the South Carolinian admits being a first-generation college student came with challenges. 

“The overwhelming aspect of it all. You don’t know anything about college — anything,” Phillips said. 

Phillips is grateful for the First-Gen Bulldog Program.

“If it weren’t for them, I would’ve been a lot more lost than I was,” Phillips said. “I feel like they made me feel welcome and at home here, just knowing I’m not the only first-gen student here.

According to Wingate University, almost 40% of its students are the first in their families to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. 

Antonio Jefferson, Wingate’s assistant vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, led the launch of the First-Gen Bulldog Program with the help of staff from Residence Life, the Academic Resources Center and the Dean of Campus Life.

He was also the first in his family to attend college, and receive a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a doctorate. 

When he was in college, he was part of a federal program that helped first-generation college students. 

“I saw how important it was to me to navigate the college experience, to receive that support,” Jefferson said. 

Jefferson said the grade-point average for the fall semester for the First-Gen Bulldog Program first class was 2.8. 

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He added they not only did well in the classroom but on campus. 

“They are leaders in student organizations. They have jobs on campus, so we are really seeing how these students came in and hit the ground running. We think that happened because they found a foundation in the first-gen program,” Jefferson said. 

Phillips earned a 4.0 GPA both semesters of her freshman year. She was also involved in extracurriculars, including writing an advice column for the school newspaper. 

She applied to be a mentor for first-generation college students in the fall and has already been hired to be a campus guide.

“I want to give back what Wingate gave to me my first semester,” Phillips said. 

Other universities in North Carolina, including N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, Eastern Carolina and Appalachian State, offer programs supporting first-generation college students.