First in My Family Program

Carroll Supports Success!

First in My Family is a scholarship program designed to support first-generation students at Carroll Community College.* 

Being the first in your family to go to college is both exciting and challenging.

As a student at Carroll, you will be able to take advantage of all the opportunities that college has to offer. As one of the first in your family to go to college, you possess strengths that will serve you well as a college student including enthusiasm, self-control, curiosity, perseverance/grit, optimism, gratitude and social intelligence. This program will help you tap into those strengths while also providing you with information and resources on how to navigate college.

Don’t worry! We’re here to guide you every step of the way toward your educational goals, from advising you on financial aid and what classes to take for a seamless transfer, to coaching you on how to achieve an effective work/school/life balance and how to start a career that best suits your interests

*To be eligible for the First in My Family program, neither parent or guardian can have graduated with an Associate or Bachelor’s degree. Students must also be high school or GED graduates and enroll in credit classes.

Participation in the First in My Family program will help you:

• Connect to campus resources
• Adapt to Carroll Community College
• Receive practical advice, encouragement, and support
• Recognize your abilities
• Open a variety of opportunities such as membership to Tri-Alpha honor society
• Learn from the experience of first-gen staff and faculty 
• Live your dreams

Program requirements for participants include:

• Attending 4-5 programs from approved scheduled events. These programs are designed to give students tools for success and allow them to engage with other first-generation students, faculty, and staff.
• Participating in monthly check ins with assigned faculty/staff mentor.

Next Steps

• Step 1: Apply to Carroll
• Step 2: Call The Advising Office for an advising appointment
• Step 3: Register for Classes
• Step 4: Apply to the FIMF program by submitting your First in My Family application by August 7 for a fall consideration and by January 2 for a spring consideration (must apply prior to completion of 30 credits).

The FIMF program setting you up with a mentor that you meet with every month has been great. She and my advisor worked together to plan my courses for my degree. And she’s been keeping me updated on events at Carroll to get involved in. Between my mentor and advisor, I know I’ve always got someone to reach out to in case I don’t know what I’m doing.

I’m the first one of my family to go to college, so having a supportive network here helping me to transition through a lot of stuff at Carroll is just amazing.

Here at Carroll, the staff helped me figure out what I need, what direction I have to go in, what classes I have to take. I’ve had a pretty big networking and support system through the First in the Family program, as well as a scholarship through them. It was a lot having to transition here, but Carroll made it really easy.

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