First Gen + Center

Mason’s first-generation students are no strangers to overcoming bias or barriers to attend college. Their remarkable tenacity keeps them striving for more.

Mason incoming freshmen Jacie Hernandez, Linh Vu, and Neyda Gonzalez spent six weeks on campus this summer as a part of the Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP)

Last year, Mason reported that 40 percent of its undergraduates were first-generation students. These numbers are proudly achieved through university initiatives like the Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP), created to enhance the recruitment, engagement and retention of first-generation college students accepted to Mason.