About.

Every year millions of students apply to college. But of those who ultimately enroll and attend, a staggering 90% hail from the middle and upper class. While the multi-billion dollar test prep and private counseling industry continues to grow, a generation of low-income students is being left behind.

A feature-length documentary, First Generation delves into the lives of four of these high-achieving low-income students trying to be first in their families to go to college. Over the course of their junior and senior years of high school, their stories unfold as they navigate the process of applying to college amidst the challenges of poverty. Interwoven with these dramatic stories of survival and triumph, we interview our nation’s top educational experts who share their perspective on the problems of access facing first generation and low-income students and how their success has major implications for the future of our nation.