Skip site navigation
Maryland Today
Athletics Arts & Culture Campus & Community People Research
Athletics Arts & Culture Campus & Community People Research
Campus & Community

A New First Step for First-Generation Terps

Student Organization Provides Help Navigating College Life

Salazar Margarita 11062024 DS 9276 1920x1080 Photo by Dylan Singleton
Margarita Salazar Giron '27 is secretary of the new First-Generation Student Association, which connects and supports Terps who are the first in their families to go to college. "We really want to make our organization a safe place for people to ask questions and to know that we're here for them," she says.

When Margarita Salazar Giron ’27 arrived at the University of Maryland’s campus last fall, she quickly realized the truth of what has become a saying among first-generation Terps: You don’t know what you don’t know about college.

“When you’re the first person in your family to go to college, simple questions like ‘How does the dining plan work?’ or ‘Am I taking too many credits?’ are things other people know from their families that we don’t,” said Salazar Giron.

Now, a new student organization will help UMD’s first-generation college students—some 20% of undergraduates, or over 6,100 students—navigate the ins and outs of university life and find community with other students in the same situation. The First-Generation Student Association officially launched this semester.

“We really want to make our organization a safe place for people to ask questions and to know that we’re here for them,” said Salazar Giron, the group’s secretary.

Chantelle Smith, assistant director of recruitment and inclusive communities in UMD’s Honors College, spearheaded the creation of the organization starting last year. Once a first-generation college student herself, she knew how much students who lacked family experience with higher education were at a disadvantage when it came to the nitty-gritty of college life, and wanted to help create a student group that would be a resource specifically for them.

Last year, Smith began gauging student interest in such a group, and found it was strong. She interviewed students for the six-person executive board, and the small team began meeting last spring. The group is housed in the Honors College but is open to all Terps, and has partnered with units like the Dean of Students office and the Office of Family Engagement to expand its reach.

Already, the association has hosted a webinar for incoming freshmen that drew some 50 participants and held a networking event—a skillset that President Angelina Hermosilla Roman ’27 hopes the group can help students develop. She noted that students whose parents and grandparents attended college often have personal networks that first-generation students lack.

“When I started college, I had no idea how to go about getting internships or speaking to prospective employers,” she said.

Salazar Giron hopes that the group will become a place where first-generation students can share what they’ve learned—and their experiences—with each other. “We really want to make a community where people can get to know each other and rely on their peers,” she said. “So many of us are confused or lost. If you can find other people going through the same thing as you, you may not feel as lonely.”

This week is First-Generation Student Week at UMD. FGSA is hosting the following events on Thursday and Friday:

· Thursday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m.: First-Generation Terps Panel at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center

· Friday, Nov. 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Tabling and pick-up for commencement stoles at the Stamp Student Union and in front of McKeldin Library

· Friday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m.: Scoop, Support, Succeed: Engineer Celebration at the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building

· Friday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m.: First-Gen Mixer at the Stamp’s Charles Carroll Room (A 2203K)

A full list of events planned by departments across campus is available at firstgenterps.umd.edu/celebrate.html.


Many units across campus support first-generation students. A new coordinator for first-generation students, Yanira Pacheco Ortiz, works in the Office of the Dean of Students, and the Academic Achievement Programs have long guided first-generation students through the University of Maryland. Find more resources at firstgenterps.umd.edu.

Related Articles

Campus & Community

August 06, 2025
Alum Brendan Iribe’s Donation Launches University of Maryland Computing Catalyst

Campus & Community

July 08, 2025
Study-Abroad Opportunities for Students With Financial Need Rank Among Top 5 Nationally