Programs help prepare first-generation students for career success
First-Generation Student Success’ experiential learning trips to Tennessee and the Steger Center promote career readiness and showcase professional opportunities.
Students engaged in a First-Generation Student Success professional development workshop. Photo by Brian Muncy for Virginia Tech.
Experiential learning can give college students a major advantage in the job market. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, students who participate in experiential learning opportunities report higher salaries, faster career progression, and better job satisfaction.
First-Generation Student Success is leading the way in making experiential learning and career-readiness accessible to all students.
In spring 2026, the department hosted its inaugural alternative spring break in Nashville, where students spent a week immersed in personal and professional development opportunities. Later this summer, another group heads to the Switzerland through the Pathways to the Steger Center Study Abroad Program.
“The skills and perspectives gained from these experiences are becoming more and more important in this job landscape,” said Brandon Crowder, program director for the GenerationOne living-learning community. “These opportunities expand the Virginia Tech experience outside campus and help students engage with the larger community while developing professionally, gaining global experience, and representing Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) through service.”
Breaking ground in Nashville
Chatrice Barnes Ph.D. ’26, assistant dean for First-Generation Student Success, and Tamara Cherry-Clarke, associate dean for student success, outreach, and engagement, facilitated the alternative spring break, which was made possible by a grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
Over five days in March, Barnes and Clarke brought students to Tennessee Tech University; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and Tennessee State University for professional development workshops and graduate school presentations.
Students and staff on the First-Generation Student Success alternative spring break trip. Photo by Alexandria Johnson for Virginia Tech.
The First-Generation Student Success alternative spring break brought students to Tennessee in March 2026. Photo by Alexandria Johnson for Virginia Tech.
Some undergraduate students on the trip were already considering graduate school, but for others, like first-year engineering major Isabella Meza, the trip was eye-opening.
“Through the career development opportunities, conversations about different programs, and learning more about the options available, I started to see graduate school as a real possibility,” she said.
Sabrina Abukar, a first-year student studying economics, enjoyed the opportunity to network and share ideas with students and faculty members at the Tennessee universities.
“It inspired me personally and professionally as I was able to hear about the career journeys of accomplished professionals,” she said.
For other students, the experience of traveling and staying in a new place helped them gain valuable confidence.
Bishop Hilliard ’26 (left) at Cheesy Nights. Photo by Addi Everett for Virginia Tech.
Bishop Hilliard ’26, who earned a degree in fish and wildlife conservation, anticipates that his future career will involve a lot of travel.
“Getting the opportunity to travel to a whole new city and experiencing all that I did really opened my eyes more to how fun traveling can be,” he said. He said the trip gave him insight into the realities of travel, such as pre-planning costs.
Because it was spring break, Barnes and Cherry-Clarke made sure the students had a chance to experience everything Nashville had to offer, from dance classes and museums to service opportunities. On every excursion, they asked the professionals and instructors to talk about their career journeys.
“You never know where your career is going to take you, and what’s going to spark your creativity and your imagination,” said Barnes. “You really can do just about anything you put your mind to, and that message kept being reiterated over the course of the trip.”
Barnes and Cherry-Clarke also brought their insights as first-generation college graduates into meaningful group discussions, fostering a community of trust and support.
“This trip helped me realize that I have options, and that I don't have to figure everything out alone,” said Meza. Inspired by the sense of community she felt on the trip, she later applied to be the president of the first-generation student-led organization VTf1rst, a position she now holds.
Next stop: Switzerland
This summer, First-Generation Student Success is sponsoring a cohort of first-generation students participating in Pathways to the Steger Center, a five-week study abroad program in Switzerland.
The program gives students in any major the opportunity to earn six credits through Pathways courses that count toward graduation requirements. Students choose from courses in visual arts and culture, creative inquiry and design, and Italian through creative practice.
“The Steger Center was created to give Virginia Tech students a deeply immersive international experience, and Pathways to the Steger Center is an exciting way to make that opportunity accessible to students across majors,” Executive Director Sara Steinert Borella said. “Students are not simply taking classes in Switzerland. They are using the region as a living classroom, building confidence, earning credits toward graduation, and seeing how their Virginia Tech education connects to the wider world.”
For Dallana Cartagena Flores, a junior in international studies who hopes to one day work for the United Nations, that connection between Virginia Tech and the wider world already feels personal.
She was excited to find a study abroad opportunity designed with first-generation students in mind. Her recent experience as an online tutor for students in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya has deepened her interest in global issues and strengthened her desire to learn from people whose lives and experiences differ from her own.
“My students have taught me so much,” she said. “They’ve shown me the beauty of global interconnectedness. This study abroad trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that interests me not just because of the travel, but also for the broadening of my own perspective.”
Crowder knows first-hand the lasting impact of global experiences, as his time abroad led him to his career in higher education.
“It’s exciting to see how this experience abroad will help our students gain a global perspective, increase their value in the job market, and ultimately achieve their career dreams,” he said.
Learn more about First-Generation Student Success resources and opportunities.
