Project NextGen
From the Georgia First Generation Foundation, Project NextGen is a series that dives into what makes first-generation students the next generation of global leaders and forward thinkers. Georgia First interviews current first-generation college students, graduates, and successful leaders from different areas of work to learn about their upbringings, their mindset, and how they came to become successful first-generation advocates.
Episodes
In honor of the end of Season 5, Ana and Leri embark on a journey of reflection, celebration, and anticipation as we bid farewell to this season. Ana and Leri share personal reflections on the key takeaways, the most memorable conversations, and the impact of these discussions on their own journey. But the season finale isn't just about looking back; it's about looking forward. So, join us for this momentous season finale a...
In this episode of Project NextGen, co-hosts Anna and Leri delve into the significance of celebrating wins as first-generation individuals. They tackle the challenges first-gen students face in acknowledging and appreciating their accomplishments. Sharing their personal experiences, they reflect on the prestigious Dr. Bobby Leadership Award and the Presidential Volunteer Award they received, their initial reactions, and the underly...
Executive Director Charbel returns to Project NextGen with a special interview into the world of visionary advertising with Tim Sok. This episode reveals Tim's journey as a first-generation entrepreneur and his unique approach to transforming bold ideas into highly profitable advertisements. Discover how Tim's innovative mindset, artistic intuition, and problem-solving skills have propelled him to advocate for first-generat...
In this episode of Project NextGen, our hosts, Leri and Ana, sit down with Nury Lizeth Castro, Director of Diversity Education and Training at Agnes Scott College and a full-time doctoral student at the University of Dayton. Nury shares her story as a first-generation American and college graduate, growing up in Los Angeles, California, and Durham, North Carolina. She discusses her upbringing, the values instilled in her by her imm...
Staring our fifth season of Project NextGen with new hosts, Leri Argueta and Ana Maria Villegas -- both Board Members of the Georgia First Generation Foundation -- share their personal journeys as first-generation leaders. Leri discusses his role as Senior Assistant Director for Diversity Initiatives at Georgia Tech and his work advocating for underserved students. Ana shares her experience as a first-generation college graduate an...
Born in Colombia, Ana Maria Villegas is a first-generation college graduate and professional. She graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, fully funded by merit scholarships. She finds great interest in analyzing the reasoning behind decisions and using data to predict and plan for a better future, which drew her to the study of economics. She has joined one of the world’s largest consulting ...
Caroline Twum is a first-generation Ghanaian American and an alumna of the University of Georgia where she studied biological sciences. She is currently a third-year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She plans to specialize in primary care or emergency but still remains very open to the many opportunities and possibilities that medicine provides. Caroline hopes to one day open a clinic in her fath...
Leri Argueta, MPA, serves as the inaugural Senior Assistant Director for Diversity Initiatives for the Georgia Institute of Technology. His role oversees the support, expansion, and advocacy for a growingly diverse and underserved student population across all academic divisions and majors. Argueta has served in several fellowship programs, including the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education Policy Fellowship Program, the...
Valyn Lyric Turner is a spoken word artist, actor, and singer-songwriter from Buford, Georgia. She is a 2019 graduate of Lanier High School and currently attends Boston University as a Posse scholar. In 2018, Valyn's passion for poetry took her to the national stage as representative for the state of Georgia in Poetry Out Loud, a poetry recitation contest sponsored by the NEA. She is now proud to have collaborated with numerous sch...
It has been one year since we interviewed Chris Parra, now a rising senior and Civil Engineering Student at Kennesaw State University. It has also been one year since the world responded to the Coronavirus pandemic with a shift in how we handle our routine. This special episode will look at how much has changed in one year for Chris, and how his aspirations have only gotten stronger since then.
Gerardo Perez is the son of two Mexican immigrants from Cuamio, Michoacan, Mexico. He is a first-generation college graduate and the first one to venture into the corporate world. Gerardo grew up in Dalton, Georgia and upon finishing high school attended Georgia State University, where he graduated with degrees in Finance and Real Estate. He is now an investment banking analyst in the leveraged finance group at Bank of America, bas...
Octavio Jesus Aguado is an alumnus of the University of North Georgia where he studied Biology. He currently works at Valdosta State University as a Residence Hall Director. He is in a master’s program of Higher Education Leadership. He also volunteers as a graduation coach for high school students with the Hispanic Organization Promoting Education. He hopes to work with the Board of Regents of the University of Georgia because he ...
Jonathan Vázquez García is a Mexican, First Generation, DACA, and 4th-year student at Georgia State University. Jonathan majors in Public Health with a concentration in Pre-Med. He is very passionate about medicine and public health and how it can help the Latinx community in many ways. Jonathan aspires to become a Cardiothoracic Surgeon and help the Latinx community by creating access to medical resources and services that impede ...
Kelly Nguyen is the proud daughter of two first-generation Vietnamese-Americans. As the first college graduate in my family, she considers herself both an Atlanta and Charlotte native. Kelly is pursuing her Juris Doctorate at Emory Law, class of 2023. When she is not studying, she spends her time weightlifting and planning my next travel trip!
Fortune is a Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University graduate. He found himself interested in helping healthcare and mission-driven organizations improve their cybersecurity challenges and overall security posture. Fortune currently works at Protiviti as a Senior Technology Consultant under the Security & Privacy department. Fortune wants to ensure that the right information is getting to the right people, to mak...
Daniela Uribe is a first-generation sophomore at Stanford University, where she plans to major in Engineering Physics with a minor in Italian. She strives to become an engineer or academic who can inspire others with similar upbringings. Daniela recounts her experiences growing up as a Chicana and as the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, and how this and other influential people in her life motivated her to become a first-gen c...
Bryson Henriott is a first-generation college student from Vidalia, Georgia. Currently, he is attending the University of Georgia majoring in Political Science, Public Relations, and Communication Studies with the hopes of attending law school and working within politics and advocacy. Coming from a very rural area of South Georgia where he graduated with fourteen students to now attending the University of Georgia with 35k students...
Noel Salaices is a first-generation student who graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a minor in Film/Videos studies. He is the son of Mexican immigrant parents who moved to the big city to pursue a college degree. Throughout his time at Georgia State, he interned for various companies in the entertainment and sports industries and currently works as a distribution coord...
Sebastian Puerta is an alumnus of the University of Georgia where he studied economics. He currently works at Opportunity Insights, an economics research lab at Harvard University, where he works with Professor Raj Chetty to study upward mobility in the United States. Sebastian hopes to get his Ph.D. in economics and become a professor. He plans to use the insights obtained from his research to advocate for better and smarter polic...
Jeremiah de Sesto is a first-generation Filipino-American and a current honors student at the University of Georgia pursuing degrees in International Affairs and Management Information Systems with an emphasis in International Business. Jeremiah has served as the National President of National Beta, the largest independent educational youth organization in the United States, co-founded Cover to Cover, a state-wide youth non-profit ...
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