The academic journey of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota student Carla Guillen ’20 has been full of letters and documents, especially since her sophomore year when she began translating items from English to Spanish. The letter that will always stand out to her the most, though, was the one announcing her acceptance into the First Generation Initiative (FGI).
Jimmy Cumbe-Paucar ’21 is a student of few words, but others in the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota community will be glad to tell you about the positive impact he has made on both the Twin Cities and Winona Campuses.
To Margarita Lopez ’22, pursuing a career as a physician assistant is more than having a good job. It’s about paying it forward as a First Generation Initiative Scholar.
On the court, Kareem Anthony-Bello ’21 played a key role in the Saint Mary’s men’s basketball team making the conference tournament this past season for the first time in 35 years. Off the court, the junior is an FGI Scholar who is thankful to be part of another successful team.
In high school, Carol Dao ’20 favored mathematics over science. Then, a biology class introduced her to a whole new world of lab work. Now a senior First Generation Scholar at Saint Mary’s University, Dao will be heading to the Medical Laboratory Science Program at Mayo Clinic this summer.
So far, Chicago native Aldontae Guess ’19 has felt right at home while volunteering in New York City. A piece of his heart, though, will always be found in Winona after taking part in the Countdown to College and First Generation Initiative programs.