About
First2Go is UCCS's dedicated support program for first-generation college students. Based out of the MOSAIC office, we are staffed by professionals and students committed to empowering and supporting first-gen students throughout their academic journey at UCCS. Our mission is to foster recognition, celebration, empowerment, and a sense of belonging for first-gen students. Participating in First2Go allows students to expand their network, access campus-wide resources, develop valuable skills, and be a part of a growing community.
Objectives and Goals
The First2Go program uses the following objectives to guide its programming.
- Provide individualized and holistic support for first-generation students.
- Highlight, create, and/or facilitate pathways to foster connection and community among first-generation students.
- Increase visibility and awareness of the first-generation identity and program on campus.
- Develop and promote resources for first-generation students.
- Empower and celebrate first-generation students and their achievements throughout their journey at UCCS.
- Improve retention and persistence of first-generation students.
MOSAIC & LGBTQ+ Resource Center
As a part of the MOSAIC and LGBTQ+ Resource Center, First2Go also upholds their mission and vision.
Mission
Our mission is to provide holistic support through the advocacy, ongoing personal development, and community cultivation for UCCS students from historically and currently marginalized* populations.
*Marginalized is used to recognize the ongoing structural and systemic process of relegating or confining specific sociocultural groups to a lower, secondary and/or erased position. Communities that have been marginalized can encompass, but is not limited to, Black/African/African American, Native American, American Indian and Indigenous, Latine/x, Asian, Pacific islander, Desi American, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+), two-spirit, undocumented/DACA/mixed status families, women, those with visible and invisible disabilities, age diversity, those experiencing housing/financial insecurity, criminal status, body size diversity, military and veteran populations, and the international community within the United States.
Vision
Our vision for UCCS is a campus community committed to social justice, equity and equipped with the tools to craft their liberation.
- Core Values | The M.O.S.A.I.C. and LGBTQ+ Resource Center considers the following core values as central to achieving our mission.
- Community | We cultivate a campus committed to connection, belonging, and respect through the elevation and support of cultural exploration and preservation.
- Equity | We aim to advocate for, create, and sustain opportunities focused on historically marginalized populations to close structural and systemic achievement gaps.
- Inclusive Excellence | We exemplify and teach active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity to equip the community with sustainable best practices and tools for empathetic advocacy.
- Ongoing Education | We foster an environment for curiosity, collaboration, and diversity of thought to aid the lifelong liberatory learning and unlearning process.
- Personal Growth | We promote the holistic exploration of the self through intentionally designed enrichment for intellectual, spiritual, social, emotional, mental, environmental, financial, career, and physical growth that lasts a lifetime.
FirstGen Forward Network
UCCS is proud to be a member of the FirstGen Forward Network. UCCS is in the second year of the Network Member phase. Network Member institutions commit to building a foundational understanding of first-generation student success through participating in monthly workshops, networking and professional development opportunities, sharing knowledge and resources, and contributing to a peer community.
If you'd like to hear about and be invited to FirstGen Forward learning opportunities with us, contact Ashley San Miguel.
