Colorado State University’s First Generation Award program launched just in time for Bart Valdez, who was one of the first recipients of the scholarship and is now the CEO of Ingenovis Health, a medical staffing company.
During the March 4 First Generation Award (FGA) Celebration on campus, CSU marked the 40th anniversary of the nation’s first dedicated first-generation scholarship program. CSU awarded the Jackson Distinguished First Generation Scholarship to honor Valeria Casillas Payan, Angelita Chavez-Cazarez and Dalila Rodriguez Rodriguez – three seniors with cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher.
The competitive FGA program averages 400 applications per year, with 65 scholarships of at least $5,000 each awarded per year. There are 23 First Generation Award Legacy scholarships of $6,500 each.
Since its start four decades ago, CSU’s FGA fund has awarded more than 1,600 CSU students millions of dollars in scholarships. The idea met some resistance, but the founders saw the merit in increasing the ability of people of color and those with lower incomes to attend Colorado’s land-grant university.
In the 2023-24 academic year alone, 267 students received $1.44 million. University-wide, there are many first-generation scholarships that show CSU’s longtime commitment to enrolling Colorado residents and Pell Grant-eligible applicants. Last year, more than 5,600 students at CSU identified as first-generation students.
“We as a community have come so far in 40 years, but we still have so far to go,” CSU President Amy Parsons said during the 2023 FGA awards dinner. “We started the first. I think that we can be the best, and that should always be our aspiration at CSU.”
FGA scholarship winners continue into their second year of college at higher rate than the overall CSU student population – a 90% retention rate compared to 84%. The same goes for graduation rates after six years – 68% compared to 66%. The graduation rate for CSU students with any scholarship is 89%.
‘I could qualify for this’
Valdez was one of the first FGA recipients. It was 1984.
Valdez grew up in Lakewood, Colorado, but spent a lot of time at the family farm in Manassa, a half-hour south of Alamosa. Valdez first attended Adams State University on a track scholarship but decided that was not his path. “After my freshman year, I couldn’t afford to go back,” he said. “So, I needed a way to get there.”
Valdez joined the Navy, which allowed him to attend a university when school was in session and spend breaks and summers in military service. Valdez paid tuition to CSU and was living off savings made from a construction job. It meant belt-tightening.
“I was desperate. I didn’t have a car. I didn’t have anything else,” Valdez said. “But it was really important to my mother and my father for me to get an education.”
Valdez took an on-campus job working on a booklet listing all CSU scholarships. While in the financial aid office, he saw the draft of a poster about a first-generation scholarship award for students who attended high school in Colorado. “Oh,” Valdez thought. “I could qualify for this. It was sort of by luck to some degree.”
Support for first-gen students
Like Valdez, thousands of scholarship winners work through differing first-generation challenges that include financial, varying levels of family support, feelings of isolation, academic concerns, or acclimating to a bigger town.
Award recipient Merry Gebretsadik, a 2022 graduate in political science and native of Ethiopia who works for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, said that even though she was a first-generation student, she felt the spirit of Rams helping Rams.
“I feel like school was definitely my safe haven, and especially at CSU,” she said. “Because there were so many resources and support, both academically and financially.”
Josh Romero, a 2017 graduate in biochemistry, went to medical school and is now in a preliminary general surgery residency in Las Vegas. He said CSU finds ways to engage first-generation students beyond money.
“It’s difficult in the aspect that you don’t have some family members that have been there,” Romero said. “You’re trying to figure it out as you go. And the first-generation award really helped with networking and finding mentors to help guide me along the way.”
Colorado State University alums (left to right) Josh Romero, Amy Campos, Victor Burrola, Merry Gebretsadik and Bart Valdez all were First Generation Award scholarship program recipients.
Multiple scholarships available
There are various first-generation scholarships (primary, legacy and some from CSU colleges) and funding sources. For instance, CSU gets matching funds from the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative program for all donations that go to the Legacy scholarships.
Victor Burrola, a first-generation graduate in 2002, started a new scholarship named for Paul Thayer, a longtime CSU administrator who became associate vice president for student success. Anyone interested in contributing specifically to the Thayer scholarship can contact Marilyn Butcher, managing director of development for student success and scholarships.
Along with Barb Musslewhite, Thayer spearheaded the formation of the first-generation award program. “He’s just a very caring person,” Burrola said. “Paul really was about retention, and just understanding some of the barriers that first-generation students experience.”
“The feeling of Ram Pride towards these accomplished alumni runs deep for all of us,” said Derek Dictson, vice president for University Advancement, which has a webpage with more information about giving. “We are so proud that their leadership roots began at CSU and grew from generous donors committed to student success. On behalf of our entire University community, thank you for supporting our students.”
Blanche Hughes, CSU’s vice president for student affairs, has seen the growth of first-generation programming throughout her three decades on campus.
“Today, about one-quarter of our incoming students are first-generation, and tens of thousands of first-gen students have graduated from CSU,” Hughes said. “As a first-gen student myself, I think this is a powerful testament to how access and student support can open doors. And our work continues as we now focus on closing opportunity gaps for first-gen students.”
Giving back, paying forward
Lisa Campos earned a business administration degree in 1999 and a master’s degree in student affairs in higher education in 2001. Her mother is from Mexico and finished second grade before being asked to work in the fields. Her father graduated from high school and was drafted to go to Vietnam but didn’t attend college after his return.
Campos is now the athletics director at the University of Texas-San Antonio and funds a first-generation scholarship in honor of her parents, Joe and Rose Campos.
“I tell people all the time, CSU was ahead of its time serving first-gen students. I think a lot of campuses are now figuring that out,” Campos said. “I contributed another first-gen scholarship because I know it’s so important to pay that forward. It’s changed the structure of my life. I want that for someone else.”
Valdez said the growth of the FGA program is a tribute to the university and an important part of CSU’s land-grant mission.
“It’s emotional for me because it’s helping to break a cycle of poverty, a cycle of social acceptance, a lot of cycles that can’t otherwise be broken,” Valdez said. “It helps first-generation folks, regardless of color, regardless of economic background, to really help to launch them into a path of pursuing something greater in life like education.”
2024 Jackson Distinguished First Generation Award winners
- Valeria Casillas Payan: A fourth-year student studying psychology with a mind, brain and behavior concentration, Payan has held leadership positions on the Multicultural Greek Council and Lambda Theta Nu Sorority and has been active with Premedica. She gained experience as a certified nursing assistant, and volunteers with UCHealth. After graduation, Valeria plans to earn her master’s in biomedical sciences at CSU and apply to attend physician assistant school. She aspires to give back to her community and to low-income individuals.
Angelita Chavez-Cazarez: A sociology major with a concentration in criminology and criminal justice and a double minor in Spanish and legal studies, Chavez-Cazarez hopes to become an immigration lawyer and work in policymaking. She has held leadership positions in the First-Generation Student Organization, Pi Lambda Chi Latina and the Multi-cultural Greek Council. She has worked in the CLLARO Capitol Fellowship Program and is a mentor in El Centro’s La Conexión Peer Mentoring Program. Chavez-Cazarez plans to take a gap year to prepare for the Law School Admission Test and work as a paralegal.
Dalila Rodriguez Rodriguez: A fourth-year student studying clinical and counseling psychology, she has been awarded scholarships from CSU’s Community for Excellence and the Latin American Educational Foundation Scholarship. Rodriguez Rodriguez has a deep passion for social justice. After graduation she plans to pursue a graduate program in counseling psychology. She aspires to be a counselor for underrepresented youth in predominantly white areas.
First-generation links
- Eligibility requirements and other information are located on the FGA main page.
- Application and selection processes are discussed on the FGA’s FAQ page.
- Donation information for FGAs and other programs are on Advancement’s Give Today page.
Five FGA all-stars
VICTOR BURROLA
- Bio: A 2002 graduate with a major in liberal arts, Burrola grew up in Greeley and found out about CSU’s first-generation awards from a high school football teammate. He and his parents attended informational sessions and he won a spot. He’s now a vice president in charge of community impact and a sustainability specialist at Wells Fargo.
- Quote: “With the First Generation Award, you’re plugged into a network of faculty and alumni and other folks. And I think all of us recognized the value and genuinely care and want to give back. Even though you may be the first in your family, in a sense, you are not alone.”
LISA CAMPOS
- Bio: A 1999 graduate with an undergraduate major in business with a 2001 master’s in student affairs in higher education, Campos said her parents were not plugged into college but did want a better life for her. Now the athletics director at UT-San Antonio, Campos leads a surging sports program at a multicultural university.
- Quote: “It was the day I graduated high school. I just walked the stage. I went back home, checked the mail, and got the great letter that I had received the scholarship. It just relieved so much stress for me and my parents.”
MERRY GEBRETSADIK
- Bio: A 2022 graduate with a major in political science, she was highly involved with the Black/African American Cultural Center. She moved from Ethiopia to Littleton, Colorado, when she was 8 years old and learned English in a year. Helped by connections at CSU, she went to work for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. She now tracks federal funds coming into Colorado.
- Quote: “I do not think I would be where I am today if I did not have an institution that did support students like me. I try to give back with my time now because I am just starting my career. But financially, that is something that I want to do in the future.”
JOSH ROMERO
- Bio: A 2017 graduate with a major in biochemistry who transferred from a community college, the Greeley native is the son of a father who was a patrol officer and a mother who ran a cleaning business. Romero survived cancer, and later went to medical school. He currently is a preliminary general surgery resident in Las Vegas.
- Quote: “First-gen scholarships are a fantastic opportunity to obtain a college degree. And those students have resources to make sure that they are doing everything at the right time as far as filling out financial aid, what classes to take and networking around the campus. That was huge.”
BART VALDEZ
- Bio: A 1986 graduate with a major in business, Valdez came from “humble beginnings” in a family that included a butcher and relatives who raised sheep and hogs. Valdez overcame what was at first an “intimidating” campus, and connected with other veterans and caring people at El Centro. Valdez is the chief executive officer of Ingenovis Health, a medical staffing company. Valdez and his wife Jolene fund a first-gen scholarship.
- Quote: “We named ours the validation award. We think it helps to validate that, yes, you can do more. You are going to be challenged, but this should help validate that if somebody believes in you, you can take that next step.”
