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All five Â鶹´«Ã½ (Â鶹´«Ã½) campuses will be abuzz with events, activities and programs planned for Proud to be First Week from Nov. 3-7 to celebrate and recognize the journey of students who are the first in their families to earn a college degree.

"The idea of recognizing and celebrating students who are the first in their families to go to college and raising awareness of their journeys is important because these students are not just learners in college, they are trailblazers. They are innovators. They are change agents for their families and their communities," Jennifer Herring, associate director of Student Impact Initiatives, said. "It's important to make sure that our communities and our state not only understand the journey and the challenges that our students face but also be able to celebrate with them and encourage them in their journeys."

Brittney Meza, a senior, is the youngest of four and a First-Gen. She said her mother inspired her to seek a college degree.

"My mom always told me that knowledge is power. There was never a doubt that I wouldn't continue my education and become more," Meza said. "Higher education was my calling, and we're running into our calling."

Meza said engagement with her First-Gen mentor, Dr. Katherine Adams, associate professor, program coordinator for Â鶹´«Ã½'s Doctor of Education in higher education leadership and practice, and assistant director of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Center for Teaching, Learning and Leadership, has made a major impact on her path.

"She changed the trajectory of my life, quite literally, because without her, I wouldn't have known about the Presidential Ambassadors Program (PA) because she knew Dr. Anna Brown, TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership Program director, and discussed ways I could get involved on campus," Meza said. "One of those ways was the PA program has helped me be more professional and strengthen my leadership skills. They also encouraged me to get involved in Greek Life, and now I have lifelong friends through those opportunities."

Meza is pursuing a degree in computer science with a minor in  information assurance and security.

The Gainesville, Georgia, resident said she chose Â鶹´«Ã½ because it was "the most economical choice" while staying close to her family.

Herring said that Â鶹´«Ã½'s First-Gen initiative is partnering with , an organization that helps develop digital skills for education, to help students with affordable technology. Inspiredu will lead a financial education workshop Nov. 6 on the Gainesville Campus, and the first 50 students that register and attend will receive a free laptop through a grant from Taco Bell.

"This is going to have a huge impact on our students," Herring said.

The week's events include:

• Nov. 3: Breakfast, Dahlonega Campus, Hoag ABC rooms, 8:30 a.m. 
• Nov. 3:  Lunch, Cumming Campus, Room 1125, noon
• Nov. 5: Lunch, Oconee Campus, Room 522, noon
• Nov. 6: Lunch, Gainesville Campus, Performing Arts Building lobby, noon
• Nov. 7: Ice Cream Socia, Blue Ridge Campus, Patio, noon (weather permitting)

The Kelly family and Signs By Tomorrow are corporate sponsors of the event this year. 

"I am so incredibly thankful for the impact that First-Gen has on individual students, with their college experience examples set for siblings, and upon their extended families and friends," Jay Kelly, owner of Signs by Tomorrow and former Gainesville State College trustee, said. "Equally significant is the momentum and power that First-Gen has on each of our wonderful Â鶹´«Ã½ communities. First-Gen has an actual, true, 'real-world' and visible impact upon the workforce and on us coming together as an amazing Â鶹´«Ã½ community. First-Gen is definitely 'raising the bar,' in many different ways, throughout north Georgia.”

Herring — herself a First-Gen student — thinks being a First-Gen means that at a certain level the individual is fearless. 

"They have an incredible amount of grit. They're stepping into this unknown territory that nobody in their family has taken before," Herring said. "They're breaking barriers and rewriting narratives not just for themselves, but for their families and communities. They serve as inspiration and role models for their families and for their communities."