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Growing up in southern Virginia, Sandy Torchia, BS Accounting ’93, discovered her passion for accounting early. During high school, she realized that hard work in the field could not only open doors to exciting opportunities but also to a fulfilling career.

From improving underserved communities’ care to supporting faculty research on women living with HIV, Janell Addo-Boateng, MPH ’25, gained hands-on experience in policy, evaluation, and communication.

Rocío Rodríguez Morales, MSW ‘25, a first-generation student, found support and community at George Â鶹ÊÓƵ as she forged a new career path with her third degree.

Born and raised in Paris, France, Ava Uppal, BS Marketing ’19, fondly recalls baking with her mother and turning simple ingredients into heartfelt memories. Now, as a part-time MBA student and a working mother of two, she’s a small business owner and author of a new cookbook.

Alizé Rubiera is the first ADVANCE Â鶹ÊÓƵ Virginia Promise student to enroll at the university. She comes to George Â鶹ÊÓƵ from Germanna Community College.

A team from Â鶹ÊÓƵ is using augmented reality (AR) to create a smartphone app that will provide first-generation ADVANCE students with a virtual campus tour of the Fairfax Campus as they prepare to transfer from Northern Virginia Community College.

Sisc Johnson, a Â鶹ÊÓƵ School of Art student and staff member, will be the first in her family to graduate from college this May.

In the Feather Identification Lab at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Â鶹ÊÓƵ alum Carla Dove identifies the specific birds involved in collisions, with samples coming to her from various branches of the U.S. military, commercial airlines, and more

A double major and member of the Honors College, Juan Escalera came to Â鶹ÊÓƵ as an alumnus of the university’s Early Identification Program.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s first-generation students are no strangers to overcoming bias or barriers to attend college. Their remarkable tenacity keeps them striving for more.