First-Gen Week at Texas State University represents a time when the university provides connections to academic resources, life skills development, and enrichment opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments of Bobcats who are the first in their families to go to college.

From Nov. 4-8, First Generation Initiatives at TXST will host activities and events for students across all disciplines, including:

• Grand Opening of the First-Gen and Bobcats Bounce Back Lounge on Nov. 4 in San Marcos
• First-Gen Backyard Bash on Nov. 4 in Round Rock
• All of Us Journey Exhibit from Nov. 5-8 in San Marcos
• The “Imposter” in the Room: A First-Generation College Student on Nov. 6 in Round Rock
• Discovering Your Why: A Journey of Meaning First-Gen Week Keynote Address on Nov. 7 in San Marcos

Of the more than 40,000 students at TXST, just over 40% of them are the first in their family to pursue a college degree. While the reasons for choosing to go to college and enrolling at TXST are different for students Jimena Rodriguez-Gamez, Kyrsten Perez, Leasia Harrington, and Lalo Escovar, two reasons were shared among them — the opportunities of higher education and the welcoming university community.

Jimena Rodriguez-Gamez

Rodriguez-Gamez is an Honors College senior double majoring in public health and Spanish and double minoring in women’s studies and health communication, which is possible because she completed her associate degree while in high school through a dual enrollment program. She works as a peer mentor through the Division of Student Success. She also works as a research assistant for the Department of Health and Human Performance.

Rodriguez-Gamez grew up helping her grandmother clean houses but knew she wanted to take a different path. The dream of earning a degree to help people drove her to explore her college options.

“There’s a saying in Spanish, ‘Es más fácil recojer un lápiz que una pala,’ which means it’s easier to pick up a pencil than a shovel,” she said. “I knew I had to go to school to become the person I wanted to be.”

Even though she received offers from several other colleges across the country, she chose TXST because of a tour she took during her junior year in high school.

“I fell in love with the campus and with how welcoming everybody was,” she said. “I visited during Hispanic Heritage Month. My parents don’t speak English, and we felt left out at other universities. This was the first school where not only I felt welcomed, but my family was also welcomed.”

Rodriguez-Gamez is an advocate for minority health, which is why she decided to double major in public health and Spanish. Because she has seen the difficulties her parents have faced when communicating with healthcare providers, she wants to make a difference in language barriers once she graduates.

“I want to work in the directional part of bringing more translators to hospitals or areas with growing Spanish-speaking communities,” she said. “I’m also interested in health disparities, especially those among migrant farm workers. I have big, ambitious goals, but this is what I feel like my life was meant to be.”

Kyrsten Perez

Perez is an Honors College junior majoring in healthcare administration and minoring in health communication. She completed her associate degree while in high school through a dual enrollment program. Perez is also a student worker with two on-campus positions, including student coordinator through the Honors College and peer mentor through the Division of Student Success.

During her freshman year in high school, her father was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. Perez recalled several trips to hospitals for his treatment, which weren’t close to where she grew up in South Texas.

“I was very adamant that I wanted to be there with him for his appointments,” she said. “We were introduced to a doctor who was head of their clinical trials who offered him a type of treatment basically for free. That was big for us considering we don’t come from money. It really inspired me to want to go to college to provide that type of care for others.”

Similarly to Rodriguez-Gamez, Perez was accepted to several colleges but chose TXST because of the experience she had during Bobcat Days.

“I saw the different communities and how welcoming everybody was on campus compared to other universities I toured,” she said. “There’s really something for everyone here. When it came to financials, they were really understanding and did everything they could to help me understand the process. My younger brother decided to come here because of that, too.”

Once she graduates, she wants to work her way to becoming a director of clinical research for chronic care, more specifically for leukemia or multiple sclerosis, close to the rural communities in South Texas.

Leasia Harrington

Harrington is a sophomore majoring in marketing with a concentration in professional sales. She completed 21 hours of college during high school through a dual enrollment program. Harrington also works as a tour guide at the University Welcome Center and a peer mentor for the Division of Student Success in addition to representing TXST as a University Ambassador.

While she was growing up, Harrington felt like going to college was always highly encouraged. Her father was in the Air Force and her mother didn’t get to finish college because she was pregnant with her.

“Because my family encouraged me, it was motivating,” Harrington said. “They always told me whatever I chose to major in that they would support me 100%. I was encouraged to go down the marketing and sales career path because of my personality, and I knew it would be better to get a degree before I tried to jump into the field.”

While her parents’ support made her decision to go to college easy, another motivation was her desire to establish a future and to make a name for herself.

"I have a passion for presenting and public speaking, and I knew it was important for me to pursue a degree that would give me both satisfaction and financial security,” she said. “I want to continue developing my skills and use my voice to encourage others who may be afraid to put themselves out there.”

Harrington was drawn to TXST because of the McCoy College of Business Center for Professional Sales being the top ranked sales program in the world. She also fell in love with the campus and San Marcos after touring the university during a Bobcat Day.

“I was actually interviewed by President Kelly Damphousse during my Bobcat Day,” she said. “He brought over a microphone and asked why I wanted to go to TXST. It was just an awesome experience overall. Texas State has truly become my home, and I am grateful for all the opportunities I have been granted during my time here.”

As a first-generation student, Harrington feels comfort knowing that a large portion of TXST students are also first-generation students. Through her work as a peer mentor, she gets to recall her experience and help many of those students navigate through their first semester in college.

Once she graduates, Harrington doesn’t have a long-term goal, but she hopes to work on the marketing and sales side of the beauty industry after returning to McCoy for graduate school.

Lalo Escovar

Escovar is a second-year graduate student in the Student Affairs in Higher Education program. He works in the First–Gen Proud office as a graduate assistant. He also earned his bachelor’s degree in electronic media and mass communication from TXST in 2018.

Coming from a family who lived paycheck to paycheck, Escovar’s mother told him education was his key to opportunities. With that guidance, he performed well in school to pave his way for college.

“There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it,” he said.

While his cousin attended TXST and spoke highly about her experience, enrolling at the university was due to a more personal reason.

“Around that time, I was still figuring out who I was,” he said. “Coming out as a gay man, I saw Texas State as being a place where I was able to do that. I also had family members who were sick at the time, so I was close enough to go back to Brownsville if I needed to, but I was also far away enough to figure out who Lalo was in adulthood. Texas State allowed me to have that safe space.”

Escovar went through a few iterations of what he wanted to do after receiving a degree. He changed his undergraduate major eight times before landing on electronic media and mass communication with the hope of becoming a news anchor.

When the pandemic hit, he lost his job and experienced a crisis moment.

“I realized I wanted to do something more with my work because it wasn’t fulfilling,” he said. “I used to be so involved by being a cheerleader for the university, resident assistant, and serving leadership roles in my fraternity, and I remembered the Student Affairs in Higher Education program. It was a program that I was interested in before the pandemic, but I had wanted to take a break from school because I felt so burnt-out.

“I took a step back and thought about how I developed as an undergrad and over the years. I worked numerous jobs after graduation, but always wanted to do more work. I realized that my learning and development came through those organizations more than it did in the classroom. It was the advisors and mentors from my involvement that helped me get to where I wanted to be. So, I decided to go to grad school.”

He explained that many first-generation students deal with imposter syndrome. Many of them must navigate several new higher education and government systems by themselves. He wants to make that easier for the future generation.

“I’m finishing up my master’s program, and I have an interest in law school,” he said. “I take my LSAT in February, so the dream is to get into law school and work in higher education and policy law. I want to pass legislation around education, access, and equity to help close the gaps for first-generation students from all backgrounds.”

Visit the First-Gen Week webpage for a full list of first-generation activities and events.