BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University is among 60 higher education institutions selected to join the 2025–26 class of the FirstGen Forward Network — a national initiative designed to support and enhance the success of first-generation college students. Schools were selected based on their demonstrated commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation students.
“Being part of this network affirms our commitment and places us in a space where we can both contribute and grow — ensuring that our support for first-generation students is not only sustained but elevated,” said App State Associate Vice Provost for Student Success Shernita Lee. “It positions App State to build on our momentum and refine our programming with intention and innovation.”
By joining the FirstGen Forward Network, universities gain access to professional development opportunities, a community of practice, and tools to assess and improve their support for first-generation students. The initiative aims to build more inclusive institutional structures, ultimately enhancing the academic and cocurricular experiences of this student population.
The network provides institutions with workshops, networking, professional development opportunities, resource-sharing and a tailored approach to transform their resources, services and programs, as well as recognition for significant contributions to advancing first-generation student success and sharing evidence-based practices.
For the fall 2025 semester, App State enrolls 6,589 first-generation students, who represent 33% of the total undergraduate student population. Among App State’s first-year students, 34%, or 1,359, are first-generation college students. And at App State Hickory, over half of the student population are the first in their families to attend college.
“These institutions are not only committed to supporting first-generation students but also prepared to invest in long-term, strategic efforts that create environments where these students can truly thrive,” said FirstGen Forward Network Vice President Stephanie J. Bannister.
Daisy Jacqueline Sierra, a computer information systems and cybersecurity double major from Sparta, left, and App State senior Gabriel Wheaton, a geology-quantitative geoscience major from Roanoke, Virginia, are students in App State’s TRIO Student Support Services program. They credit the program’s leaders, mentors and advisors, as well as its workshops, classes and events, for helping them achieve success as they work toward their educational goals. Photos by Chase Reynolds
TRIO Student Support Services
At the heart of App State’s first-generation student success programming for the past 52 years is the federally funded TRIO Student Support Services (TRIO SSS), which recently received a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The program serves approximately 200 students each year, providing comprehensive services designed to increase the number of low-income college students, first-generation students and students with disabilities who successfully complete a postsecondary education.
“To receive continued funding means that App State’s TRIO program can continue to give students the individual attention they need to successfully navigate the hurdles of a college experience, which can be particularly challenging for first-generation, low-income students,” said TRIO Student Support Services Director Cathia Silver.
She continued, “Removing these barriers — which range from a lack of support systems and mentors, to limited knowledge around higher education — increases a student’s self-efficacy, career-readiness and resilience, preparing them to become successful college graduates and contributing members of society.”
First-year students in App State’s TRIO Student Support Services program are pictured in 2022, taking part in one of the program’s regular field trips to Grandfather Mountain in Linville. There, students tour Grandfather Mountain’s Wilson Center for Nature Discovery and learn more about the mountain and the High Country area. Photo submitted
As part of the TRIO SSS program, students receive support throughout their educational journeys at App State — from their first day on campus to the day they graduate and earn their App State degrees. The program’s offerings, which include the following, aim to build community, strengthen academic skills and connect students with the resources and experiences needed to persist and graduate successfully.
- Academic advising
- Comprehensive mentoring
- Academic instruction and tutoring
- Financial aid assistance and financial literacy education
- Career exploration and development activities
- Service-learning, educational and cultural programming
Roanoke, Virginia, native Gabriel Wheaton, who began App State’s TRIO SSS program in fall 2022, said the program “supports App State’s academic community, specifically first-generation students, with dedication and compassion.”
Additionally, Wheaton, a senior geology-quantitative geoscience major, highlighted the workshops available through App State’s TRIO SSS program, which he said teach essential skills for academic success, including time management and planning.
App State junior and TRIO SSS student Daisy Jacqueline Sierra, of Sparta, said the program’s courses, workshops and community-building events — along with regular meetings with her TRIO SSS advisor — have provided her a solid foundation for her academic career and helped her grow her confidence as a first-generation college student.
“I know I deserve to be here as much as any other student,” she said.
Students in App State’s TRIO Student Support Services program participate in a zip line tour as part of an educational service-learning trip to Greenville, South Carolina, over spring break 2024. While there, they volunteered at Conestee Nature Preserve, helping to remove invasive plants and replant native trees and shrubs, and at the Harvest Hope Food Bank, packaging food and other supplies for the local community. Photo submitted
Part of App State’s Student Success unit, housed in University College, the TRIO SSS program has an impressive success rate. The program’s Annual Federal Performance Report for the 2023–24 academic year revealed the following achievements of program participants:
- 94% of students persisted or graduated
- 95% completed the year in good academic standing
- 67% of the 2018 cohort graduated from the university
Additionally, this past spring, 51% of TRIO SSS students in GPA-earning courses finished the term on the Dean’s or Chancellor’s Lists, and 66% earned a semester grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
“App State is supporting first-generation students by centralizing our efforts and deepening our institutional commitments,” said Lee. “This approach strengthens the sustainability and longevity of our services, while providing clear justification for continued investment in student success.”
She added, “I’m especially proud of the collaborative work of our Student Success Team, First-Generation Student Support Advisory Board, and the Center for Student Success and Community. Together, they’ve bridged ideas across campus and developed a unified plan to affirm our commitment to first-generation students.”
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About Student Success at App State
Student Success, housed in University College at App State, is dedicated to the development, promotion and support of learning for all Mountaineers. Through its services and support programs, Student Success empowers App State students to achieve their academic goals by providing a nurturing and supportive environment in which students thrive. These services and programs include academic advising; academic support through the Student Learning Center; TRIO Student Support Services; As-U-R program; the Murray Family Appalachian Commitment to a College Education for Student Success (ACCESS) Scholarship Program; the Career Development Center; the College Success Seminar; the University Writing Center; and the Center for Student Success and Community. Learn more at https://studentsuccess.appstate.edu.
About University College
Formed in 2007, University College consists of the university’s general education program, faculty and student support, and co-curricular programming and support – all designed to support the work of students both inside and outside the classroom. All students at Appalachian begin their education in University College and benefit from its programs until they graduate. Learn more at https://universitycollege.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
