I'm First: Carissa in Greensboro, NC
Channel: UNCG Guarantee
Date: 2015-04-16

My name is Carissa Crews and I am junior Public Health Education major. I'm from a very small town, Kittrell NC, my graduating high school class only had 120 graduates. Neither one of my parents went to college straight out of high school, so they always motivated and encouraged me to break that cycle and go forth on to college. I wasn't forced into that decision, I always knew that I wanted to go to college and thrive in those four years. I choose UNCG because not only is it a gorgeous campus but it's so diverse, you'll never meet an individual who's just like you! I really appreciated that because it gives me the chance to be who I am in a very accepting environment. My first year I struggled getting used to how college classes were structured, but I used resources such as the Writing Center and the Student Success Center. There I was provided with mentors, tutors, and academic counselors. Those individuals and resources really helped me succeed and I still use them today as a junior! In fact one of my biggest accomplishments thus far comes from working with the Student Success Center. I am one of the co-founders of the newly student-led organization, "1st G". The organization is geared towards first-generation college students who attend UNCG. As a group our mission is to serve as a resource to one another while sharing a commonality (being first-generation) while also mentoring younger students who have the potential to attend college. I've found my niche in several places on-campus, I'm not only the Vice-President next year for that organization, I'm also a resident advisor (RA), a Dean's Ambassador for the school of Health & Human Sciences,  and an active part of other organizations both on and off campus. I consider myself to be somewhat of an over-achiever but I'm also an example of a student who is first-generation, and making great strides towards making my community and parents proud! I like to sharing my story in order to motivate other students who are like me and letting them know that you can succeed whether you are first-generation or not.