Helping her father study for his U.S. citizenship was a spark toward Allison Spooner's activism and voice. "His journey to citizenship was a testament to resilience and determination, and it planted the seeds of my commitment to civic life."

Carina talks about her career pivot from engineer to project manager. She includes tools and suggestions along with the powerful challenge that she faced: “Making my own life choices separate from what my family thinks just didn’t feel right or okay.” It’s how-to, why-to, and all the feelings that go along on this journey.

Inyeon is a Korean word about providence, fate, red thread connections woven between people and things. Gerald wrote a letter to his past self during our Success Cohorts titled “Inyeon”. It is powerfully told and we are honored that he trusted us to share this.

Member alumni and SC coach extraordinaire, Dr. Elba Moise, talks about her career pivot and how mentorship positively impacts her success.

SC member, Saman Khan, writes about networking anxiety common to many of us and ends with advice for networking veterans (who were once early career too).

Two years old. 85 Success Cohorts alumni. Betti reflects on what’s happened during that time and exposes the mistakes (and learning) in her early career.

Annabel Cholico, our incredible coach, talks about her philosophy to achieving success and her approach to coaching.

Our incredible brand designer and first gen college graduate, Arlene Mitsui, shares how she developed our logo as well as how she became such a successful designer. See more of her beautiful work at https://www.mitsuicreative.com/.

Betti Fujikado reflects on her personal definition of success through her 45-year career and explains the name change from First Gen Cohorts to Success Cohorts.

To celebrate Marques Chacon, one of our January 2022 Cohorts, getting in to the UW Master of Science in Data Science program, we are sharing his amazing grad school application essay. He shares his story of triumph and struggle with vulnerability and honesty. It’s an inspiring story for all.

Jose Oronia, one of our Beta Cohort members, writes about his story of perseverance and grit. His belief in himself and his abilities is a lesson we could all learn from.

Susanna, one of our Beta Cohort members, shares her experience growing up in the United States as first gen and Mexican American. Her blog is a powerful testament to her resilience and persistence.

Navath Nhan, a member of our inaugural cohort, provides advice on how to cope with “finding your passion” through a letter he wrote to his younger.

Roxanne Alvarez, is a community member and a friend of First Gen Cohorts. In this blog, she shares the advice she has for her younger self. From trusting your gut to finding time outside of work to enjoy your family and friends, Roxanne outlines some advice for young professionals.

Katrina James, one of our Alpha Cohort members, shares her story growing up in a small town and how she broke barriers as a first generation college graduate.

Clem Mooc, one of our Alpha Cohort members, shares his story by sharing his parents story of strength, resilience, and sacrifice.

Jonathan Kuc, one of our Alpha Cohort members, shares his career and life journey so far and shares the challenges he has faced on his way to achieve his goal to become a software engineer.

In celebration of Women's History Month, we honor our co-founder, Carla Corkern’s history through a blog she wrote about her grandmother Vera Mae who played a pivotal role in inspiring this organization.

Gabrielle Prawl is a first generation college graduate and a former employee of our co-founder, Betti Fujikado. She is the Senior Art Director at Razorfish NYC and an accomplished professional in the advertising and marketing industry. She shares her experiences navigating her career and provides a few tips for others starting a new chapter.

In honor of National Mentoring Month, specifically Thank Your Mentor Day, we are taking some time to thank our coaches and co-founders who have done so much for this program.