Alondra Herrera-Esquivel, a member of the Georgetown University class of 2025, described on April 29 her experiences as a first-generation college student in the university’s Community Scholars Program. The program is designed to provide support for first-generation and low-income students at Georgetown.
Herrera-Esquivel said she was both excited and nervous when she learned about her acceptance into the program, as it meant moving away from her family for the first time and arriving on campus before other students for a pre-orientation summer session. “I was a first-generation college student and didn’t have someone close to me who had gone through that experience,” she said. “When my parents dropped me off on campus, I didn’t want them to leave.”
She explained that meeting fellow first-generation students during her initial days helped form friendships that lasted throughout her time at Georgetown. Herrera-Esquivel credited the program with helping all participants begin their studies on equal footing: “The program truly does a magnificent job ensuring that students from all walks of life are starting their college journey on the same level playing field,” she said.
Herrera-Esquivel highlighted several benefits of participating in the summer session, including forming early friendships, adjusting to college-level coursework through two intensive classes, and becoming familiar with campus before most students arrived in the fall. She also noted that early class registration helped her plan out required courses and avoid extra semesters.
She further mentioned workshops offered by both the Community Scholars Program and Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP), which covered topics such as health insurance policies—knowledge she found useful after graduation—and provided networking opportunities like GSProud Week for first-generation students.
Reflecting on her time at Georgetown after graduating with a degree in culture and politics, Herrera-Esquivel credited these programs with preparing her for internships and securing full-time employment as an immigration paralegal. “Those tips led me to secure my full-time position after graduation,” she said.
