As a land-grant university, NC State is committed to helping the people of North Carolina access higher education regardless of their socioeconomic background. That mission is exemplified by the First in the Pack program, a universitywide initiative connecting first-generation college students with the resources, faculty and staff, and other students they need to succeed at NC State.

From helping students navigate the world of class schedules and extracurricular activities to putting them in touch with counseling services and financial support, First in the Pack ensures that each student can successfully transition into the Wolfpack world. Parents and Families Services is a partner that aligns their efforts to do the same for those dedicated to championing student success — Wolfpack families.

It’s not just about empowering students while they’re earning their degrees, though. Celebrating their achievement when the time comes for them to turn their tassels forward is as important as the support they received along the way.

Hence, the inaugural From First to Future event, which was held May 7.

Executive Director of Parents and Families Services Kerri Fowler couldn’t help but reminisce as students and their family members began streaming into the E. Carroll Joyner Visitor Center. NC State’s 2026 spring commencement ceremony would be held the next day at Carter-Finley Stadium, with these assembling seniors set to become the first people in their families to graduate from college.

Four years before, First in the Pack and Parents and Families Services had welcomed them to the Wolfpack in that very same place. Many of these university leaders are first-generation college graduates themselves, so they are familiar with how the students and families felt when they walked onto campus for the first time, as well as the sense of pride they were leaving with.

“This event has been years in the making,” Fowler said. “We have a longstanding First in the Family event, which we partner with First in the Pack on to welcome first-generation students and families to NC State, along with dedicated support for students and families throughout their time here. But we have long hoped for an event to bookend that journey and celebrate this monumental achievement, and it is deeply gratifying to see it come to fruition.”

First-generation students reportedly make up 54% of the student population in U.S. universities, yet they graduate at a rate of just 24%. Students with relatives who previously graduated from a four-year institution, by comparison, graduate at a rate of 59%.

First-generation graduation rates are better at NC State, but there is still room for growth.

First-generation students currently make up about 25% of NC State’s student body. The university’s most recently available data for first-generation graduation rates is for the fall 2021 cohort; that group’s four-year graduation rate for first-generation first-year students was 63.2%.

“The need for First in the Pack is as great as its impact,” Fowler said. “These numbers remind us how far first-generation students have come and how important it is that we continue supporting their success and the success of those who follow. By engaging their families and support systems as well, we help carry forward generations of knowledge, opportunity and achievement.”

The 2026 From First to Future event was the inaugural ceremony and included several NC State speakers who are first-generation college graduates. They represented key moments of a student’s undergraduate journey, from being admitted as a student to becoming an alum.

Lyndenise Berdecía Rivera graduated from NC State in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree from the Poole College of Management. Giving back to her alma mater is vitally important to Rivera; she currently serves as the chair of the Alumni Board of Directors — a position that allows her to help other students Think and Do as well as celebrate with them when they become alumni.

“My abuela never finished high school, but she always cooked one extra portion of rice, knowing it might be the only meal some of her husband’s farmworkers would see that day — a legacy in the making,” Rivera said. “Every first-generation graduate in that room carried someone’s extra cup of rice inside them, the overflow of a generosity passed down long before they were born. Watching families witness that legacy honored in real time, as a diploma, was the whole reason the day mattered.”

As it does with so many aspects of life at NC State, philanthropy played an important role in making the From First to Future celebration possible. A $5,000 crowdfunding effort helped cover the cost for each First in the Pack graduate — 54 students in all, whether they were able to attend the event or not — to receive a medallion commemorating their accomplishment.

Fowler invited each student to choose a family member to place the medallion around their neck, echoing the pinning ceremony many had experienced four years earlier. In a shared moment of tribute and accomplishment, the family members placed the medallions on their students at the same time.

Courtney Simpson is the senior director of NC State’s TRIO Collegiate and Pack Support Programs, an NC State alum and a first-generation college student. She is part of the planning committee that helped make From First to Future a reality and was on hand to see this unforgettable moment.

“Graduation is more than an individual achievement; it is a family and community milestone,” Simpson said. “This was evident in how faculty, staff, alumni and the larger community came together to support the From First to Future crowdfunding campaign, which helped us design an experience that students and their families will never forget. From First to Future reminds us of the good that happens when we come together in community to celebrate and support one another.”

One of those staff donors was Alastair Hadden, NC State’s executive director of marketing strategy and brand. His work in University Communications and Marketing has given him a front-row seat to how special each commencement ceremony is, especially for first-generation graduates.

“NC State’s founding intent was to open the doors of higher education to more people — and that includes the families of first-generation students. The promise of higher education isn’t just individuals picking up degrees to secure well-paid jobs; it’s communities across our state benefiting from the rising tide of educational attainment. Anything we’re able to do to honor that promise, we’re going to do.”

NC State donors didn’t just come together to help meet the crowdfunding goal, though. They surpassed it, ensuring that medallions could be given to every 2026 graduating member of First in the Pack as well as help make this part of NC State’s future commencement activities.

Speaking of commencement activities: To make the medallions even more special to the students and their families, the planning team, an arm of the First in the Pack Advisory Committee, partnered with Tom Stafford, retired vice chancellor for academic and student affairs and longtime Memorial Belltower guide and historian, to have the medallions placed in the Belltower’s Shrine Room the night before they were presented to the recipients.

Placing items in the Belltower overnight is a long-running tradition for class rings, ROTC epaulettes and other university-related mementos. And, now, first-gen medallions.

“Over the years, First in the Pack has helped students, faculty and staff recognize that being first-generation is a strength that greatly enhances the NC State community,” Simpson said. “It is a joy to watch other first-gen students thrive within the NC State community, and the fact that we as an institution take pride in connecting first-gen families reminds us that it truly takes a village.”

With the support of NC State donors, the From First to Future medallions will serve as a lasting celebration of the remarkable journey first-generation students and their families have taken together — and of the bright futures still ahead.

Visit firstpack.dasa.ncsu.edu to learn more about First in the Pack. If you would like to support the program by making a gift to the Student Support Services Enhancement Fund, visit go.ncsu.edu/student-support.