first-generation

BS in Community Health graduate Kristen Alleyne accredits her College of Public Health courses for giving her the skills and confidence to excel in diverse public health settings.

Mason’s Honors College and Early Identification Program (EIP) promote access to inclusive excellence. EIP serves first-gen high school students and offers programming such as the College Application Coaches program. EIP alumni entering the Honors College are awarded full tuition scholarships. The partnership strengthens EIP’s mission of educating the whole student and advances the Honors College’s commitment to increasing access to transformative academic, civic, and professional experiences.

Kristen Alleyne, a senior at George Mason University, has been named a 2023 Public Health Scholar through the John R. Lewis CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars program. She will join a cohort at UCLA to gain hands-on experience in public health. Alleyne is also involved in various student organizations on campus, including the Caribbean Student Association and Patriots for Health Assistance. The Office of Fellowships helped her with the application process.

Sophia Ramirez participated in Mason’s Early Identification Program. Now she is a University Scholar in the Honors College, majoring in history.

Tharuna Kalaivanan is a PhD student in the Public and Applied Sociology Program at George Mason University. She graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2020. She is also an Honors College Alum.

Tharuna Kalaivanan carves out a vital space for first-generation college students in the world of academic research at Mason. After earning her B.A. in Psychology in the spring of 2020, Kalaivanan continues to make an impact on the Honors College.