After a Nerve-Racking Start, This First-Generation College Student Found a Lifelong Community

When Alondra Herrera-Esquivel (SFS'25) was first accepted to Georgetown, she was invited to join the Community Scholars Program, a program that provides wraparound support for first-generation and low-income students at Georgetown.

Herrera-Esquivel was pleasantly surprised but nervous. She'd be moving away from her family and hometown to a big city for the first time. And she'd be moving to Georgetown before other first-year students for the Community Scholars' pre-orientation summer program.

Alondra Herrera-Esquivel (SFS'25) with her parents when they dropped her off at Georgetown in 2021.

"I was a first-generation college student and didn't have someone close to me who had gone through that experience," she said. "When my parents dropped me off on campus, I didn't want them to leave."

Her first night on campus though, she found fellow first-generation students who would become her lifelong friends. And a program that would provide invaluable support.

"The program truly does a magnificent job ensuring that students from all walks of life are starting their college journey on the same level playing field," she said.

Five years later, after walking across the graduation stage with her bachelor's in culture and politics, Herrera-Esquivel is an immigration paralegal at a Philadelphia law firm.

Learn more about her experiences in the Community Scholars Program, which has supported the academic success of first-generation college students and students from limited-income households for more than 50 years.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What were the highlights of the Community Scholars' five-week summer session?

I would say there were three big benefits. First, the opportunity to meet people and create friendships right before I was swamped with all the other incoming first-year and returning students in August was really helpful throughout my Georgetown journey.

Second, on top of the friendships that I made, I would also say the two courses I was taking during the five-week program were very influential because they allowed me to dabble more into what college coursework was like and find out how to manage it better. During the summer, there were days when I was a little bit overwhelmed with the readings that we had to do because of the intensity of the classes, but once the fall semester began, I was more confident in what I was doing.

Lastly, the opportunity to live on campus in the summer allowed me to get to know my way around before everyone came in the fall.

How did the program help you throughout the rest of your time at Georgetown?

One thing that I was really grateful for was that we had early class registration. That helped me plan my first semester of classes and understand what courses I needed to take throughout my four years to stay on track with my degree, which was really important since I wanted to avoid additional semesters and the associated tuition expenses.

The Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP) also provided a lot of workshops about different subjects throughout my entire four years. One workshop that I really remember was focused on helping students understand health insurance policies. When I graduated and had to get insurance on my own, I was able to understand the process more and not be scared to ask questions.

Both the Community Scholars Program and GSP also held a lot of small get-togethers for students to come together and mingle. For example, GSProud Week allows first-generation students to have more of a voice and a presence on campus, and it hosted a lot of activities that I enjoyed because I got to meet other first-generation college students who were in similar situations to me, specifically students who were the oldest of their siblings and from Hispanic or Latin American communities.

Herrera-Esquivel with her family at her 2025 graduation from the School of Foreign Service.

What effect has the Community Scholars Program had on your life since graduation?

I would say my primary friend group throughout all of Georgetown was mostly Community Scholars Program participants. Throughout those five weeks in the summer, we really got to know each other and bond, and that was my main source of support and encouragement and a shoulder to lean on whenever times got tough at school. They are the same people that I turn to now, a couple of months later, and I hope that I can continue leaning on them and counting on them, as they can on me, throughout the rest of my life.

I would also say career-wise, internship culture was not really something I understood going into college. But through workshops that the Community Scholars Program and the Georgetown Scholars Program would host, I learned how to get an internship, how to build a resume and prepare for an interview. That really helped me get my foot in the door. Those tips led me to secure my full-time position after graduation.

This article was adapted from a piece originally published in The FEEDon April 18, 2026.