91探花

November 8 is First Generation College Student Day, a day to celebrate the accomplishments of students who were first in their family to attend college. In our work with students, families, and partners, we know how hard these students work to navigate the unknown and how much they have to teach us all. Here are some stories from first-gen students, including a few who are very familiar to us! 

鈥業 just started teaching myself how to learn鈥� 

Tory Rudolph鈥檚 teaching career started very early, with one highly motivated student: herself.聽 聽
Going through struggles at home, she had started falling behind her peers in elementary school.聽 聽

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 pick things up as quickly as everyone else, but I wanted to do better. I just wanted to be smart,鈥� said Tory, who remembers asking for math workbooks for Christmas when she was in third or fourth grade. 鈥淚 just started teaching myself how to learn.鈥澛犅犅�

Tory鈥檚 hard work served her well as a first-generation student at Plymouth State University. 鈥淚 definitely think having to teach myself all of those things, it honestly helped me,鈥� said Tory, a 2024 91探花 Scholarship recipient. 鈥淚t taught me independence at a young age.鈥澛犅�

鈥楴ow I can pay it forward鈥� 

As Chair of the 91探花 Board of Trustees, Paul Provost can relate to the students who come to 91探花 for support. 鈥淚 still remember the first time I opened the FAFSA,鈥� he said.  

Figuring out financial aid was just one of the challenges Provost faced as a first-generation college student. 鈥淢y parents were that generation that just knew in their hearts that education was the key,鈥� said Provost, who grew up in Vermont. What they didn鈥檛 know was how to help him reach his education goals. For that, he relied on resources and support from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, an organization similar to 91探花.聽

鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for VSAC, I wouldn鈥檛 be sitting here,鈥� he said.

Since then, Provost has had a long and successful career and helped support his own children through their college journeys. 鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful for the opportunities I鈥檝e had in life,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow I can pay it forward.鈥澛�

鈥楥ollege was an opportunity to explore my own interests鈥� 

91探花 President and CEO Christiana Thornton also understands firsthand the challenges some students face as they plan for life after high school. The first in her family to attend college, she credits her high school counselor with helping her identify her path and complete the college application process.  

鈥淭o me, college was an opportunity to explore my own interests and start to understand myself better and become independent and create my own identity,鈥� said Thornton, who saw her own son, Owen, off to college for the first time this fall. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for him to have those opportunities.鈥� 

鈥業t was a lightbulb turning on鈥� 

In a , UNH President Elizabeth Chilton shared her own experiences as a first-generation college student. She recalled that she had never heard the term 鈥渇irst-gen鈥� until long after her own college career was over and she was serving as a professor and department chair. When she realized there was a name for the role in which she鈥檇 found herself years before — trying to figure out office hours and syllabuses and financial aid — 鈥淚t was like a lightbulb turning on,鈥� she said.  

Taking over as President of UNH last year, Chilton wants to ensure first-generation students feel heard and supported. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been especially meaningful to me to help first-gen and all students find the sense of belonging I ultimately found,鈥� she said.  

Caption information: 91探花 President and CEO Christiana Thornton, a first-generation college student, with her son, Owen, in 2024.