Wake Forest University prides itself on admitting a wide variety of students from across the globe. With a unique application process and emphasis on a liberal arts education, the university attracts students with a variety of interests.
However, as a predominantly white institution (PWI) and one of the most expensive colleges in the U.S., the university has not always attracted a diverse student body. Notably, there was a lack of first-generation students despite their qualifications and merits.
In 2009, former Provost Jill Tiefenthaler recognized this disparity and wanted to encourage first-generation students to attend the university and feel supported on campus. Dr. Mark Scott, a first-generation student whose son attended Wake Forest, donated $1 million to begin the program, which provides financial support, mentoring, and academic enrichment opportunities to 30 domestic first-generation students, known as Magnolia Scholars.
Nathan French led the creation of this program. 15 years later, he still leads the First in the Forest, which proudly supports 157 first-generation students in the incoming class of 2029 alone. French is uniquely suited for the role as a Wake Forest alumni who has worked for the admissions and financial aid departments.
“You don’t usually get to build things at a university,” French said. “You usually go to a program, and you inherit it. But the program didn’t exist, and they were trying to support first-generation students… it was an amazing opportunity.”
French said that for many Wake Forest students, attending college was guaranteed — and that their parents could advise and support their children using their own collegiate experiences.
“[College] is a space where you look back and ask your mom or dad for help with life — whether it’s about Greek life, studying abroad or career services,” Dr. French says. “The program is going to answer questions that [first-generation students] don’t even know that they have yet, and then try to encourage them and their parents to take advantage of what Wake Forest has to offer.”
Eric Maguire, vice president for enrollment in the admissions office and one of many faculty members who was a first-generation student, sees Wake Forest as a place where all students can thrive. He emphasized the importance of supporting first-generation students financially, academically and socially by holding monthly events, offering one-on-one mentoring and providing scholarships.
Magnolia Scholar Ernsley Francois has found support and advisers through First in the Forest. As he studies engineering with a concentration in electrical and computer engineering, he reflects on the resources the program has provided.
“There is a lot I have had to figure out on my own,” Francois said. “I have completed all financial aid and scholarship applications by myself. Whether it’s finding job opportunities or networking, there is no set blueprint. Instead, I have sought out the right people who are willing to help and follow their guidance.”
Sophomore Lauren Brown is another student in First in the Forest. Despite her academic success, she did not begin looking at universities until her senior year of high school. With the encouragement of her school’s college counselor and her father, she applied to Wake Forest and committed, despite being a ‘homebody’.
“My father has laid the foundation for me and my sisters to blossom into educated women. As a single parent, he works as an electrician in Philly’s Local 98 from 4:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in dangerous conditions,” Brown said. “Despite all that he has sacrificed for us to pursue our dream education, his biggest and only wish is for us to be happy. His selflessness is my main motivator when it comes to excelling in higher education.”
Brown says she has found a family within the program and looks forward to pursuing degrees in psychology and sociology — and eventually, a master’s and PhD.
“I am connected to thousands of people across the world just from having the title of first-generation. We share similar journeys and hardships, successes and failures,” Brown says. “Our foundation lays upon the narrative of a first-gen [student], and that alone can get us as far as we ever imagined.”
